Existing and future impacts of hypoxia on ecosystems

WP 3

Understanding the physical processes behind the formation of hypoxia in parallel to the study of biological processes, nutrient cycling, and dissolved oxygen dynamics is crucial for the identification of drivers of oxygen deficiency. Documenting the extent of hypoxia over large areas and through time is essential in understanding its formation through an annual cycle, and for the classification of ecosystems and their boundaries with regard to chemical stresses. WP3 is the knowledge platform to provide a synthetic, interdisciplinary understanding to support the prediction of oxygen depletion using modeling (via WP2), and to derive important strategies and tools for decision making related to nutrient and water management scenarios.

• Evaluation of existing and future impacts of hypoxia and anoxia on pelagic and benthic ecosystems (GEO work plan 2009-2011 task EC-09-01 and -02) by assessment of its biogeochemical, biological and ecological consequences in land-locked, coastal and deep marine systems
• Analysis of impact on ecosystem goods and services and development of strategies for prevention of anthropogenically induced hypoxia
• WP 3 will act as think-tank, provide the rationale for the case studies, and will integrate findings from field observation (WP6, 7) and modeling (WP2)