¿NUESTRO OCÉANO SIN ALIENTO?: CÓMO VARÍA EL OXÍGENO EN EL MAR PERUANO

This policy brief examines the loss of oxygen in the global ocean and specifically within the Peruvian Sea, highlighting the expansion of Oxygen Minimum Zones (OMZs) due to global warming and the risk of 'dead zones' caused by synergistic effects of climate change and human activity.

• Global warming, driven by greenhouse gas emissions, is causing a loss of oxygen and increased acidity in the oceans. The global ocean is estimated to have lost 2% of its oxygen over the last 50 years.
• Oxygen Minimum Zones (OMZs)—areas naturally low in oxygen due to poor ventilation and organic matter degradation—have expanded over the last six to seven decades, increasing their area by 4.5 million km² and quadrupling the volume of completely anoxic water.
• The Peruvian Sea is particularly susceptible to deoxygenation due to high productivity and ocean circulation factors. The OMZ of the Southeast Pacific, near the Humboldt Current System, has been expanding in recent decades, though the specific temporal variation of the OMZ off the coast of Peru is not yet known.
• In coastal systems, the combination of global warming and anthropogenic impacts—such as nutrient loads from agriculture, sewage discharges, and fossil fuel combustion—creates 'dead zones'. Since 1950, over 500 coastal sites have reported oxygen concentrations below the hypoxia threshold of 2 mg/L.
• The authors recommend expanding oceanographic monitoring along the Peruvian coast, as current long-term studies by IMARPE have focused primarily on Callao and Pisco. They also suggest stricter laws regarding organic waste dumped into the sea and the use of multidisciplinary data to delimit marine protected areas.

APA

Cardich, J., Sifeddine, A., Salvatteci, R., Romero, D., Briceño-Zuluaga, F., Graco, M., Anculle, T., Almeida, C., & Gutiérrez, D. (n.d.). ¿NUESTRO OCÉANO SIN ALIENTO?: CÓMO VARÍA EL OXÍGENO EN EL MAR PERUANO. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Cardich_POLICY_BRIEF_VF.pdf

Chicago

Cardich, Jorge, Abdelfettah Sifeddine, Renato Salvatteci, Dennis Romero, Francisco Briceño-Zuluaga, Michelle Graco, Tony Anculle, Carine Almeida, and Dimitri Gutiérrez. ¿NUESTRO OCÉANO SIN ALIENTO?: CÓMO VARÍA EL OXÍGENO EN EL MAR PERUANO. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, n.d. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Cardich_POLICY_BRIEF_VF.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Cardich |first1=Jorge |last2=Sifeddine |first2=Abdelfettah |last3=Salvatteci |first3=Renato |last4=Romero |first4=Dennis |last5=Briceño-Zuluaga |first5=Francisco |last6=Graco |first6=Michelle |last7=Anculle |first7=Tony |last8=Almeida |first8=Carine |last9=Gutiérrez |first9=Dimitri |title=¿NUESTRO OCÉANO SIN ALIENTO?: CÓMO VARÍA EL OXÍGENO EN EL MAR PERUANO |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Cardich_POLICY_BRIEF_VF.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cardichndnuestro, author = {Cardich, Jorge and Sifeddine, Abdelfettah and Salvatteci, Renato and Romero, Dennis and Briceño-Zuluaga, Francisco and Graco, Michelle and Anculle, Tony and Almeida, Carine and Gutiérrez, Dimitri}, title = {{¿NUESTRO OCÉANO SIN ALIENTO?: CÓMO VARÍA EL OXÍGENO EN EL MAR PERUANO}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Cardich_POLICY_BRIEF_VF.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }