17 / 2024-08-19 10:00:47

Dissolved oxygen recovery in the oxygen minimum zone of the Arabian Sea in recent decade as observed by BGC-Argo floats

deoxygention,the Arabian Sea,upwelling,OMZ,trend

The Arabian Sea (AS) hosts the world’s thickest and most intense oxygen minimum zone (OMZ), and previous studies have documented a dramatic decline of dissolved oxygen (DO) in the northeastern AS in recent decades. In this study, using the recently released data from Biogeochemical-Argo floats, we found a surprising trend of recovery in deoxygenation within the core region of the OMZ in the AS (ASOMZ) since 2013. The average DO concentration increased by approximately threefold, from ~0.63 μM in 2013 to ~1.68 μM in 2022, and the thickness of the ASOMZ decreased by 13%. We find that the weakening of Oman upwelling resulting from the weakening of the summer monsoon is the main driver of oxygenation in the ASOMZ. In addition, the reduction of primary production linked to warming-driven stratification reinforces deoxygenation recovery at depth. OMZs have major impacts on global carbon and nitrogen cycles. Our findings not only overturn the previous view of the deoxygenation trend in the ASOMZ but also provide valuable insights for projection model studies of global OMZs.