Climate Threat Global Challenges

Study: World's Rivers Are Becoming More Oxygen-Depleted

Climate change is slowly causing the world's rivers to become more oxygen-depleted, a new Chinese study shows, according to AP.

The researchers used satellites and AI to map and analyze oxygen levels from 1985 to the present in more than 21,000 rivers worldwide. They found that oxygen levels have dropped by an average of 2.1 percent.

The figure may sound low, but if the trend continues or accelerates, another four to five percent of oxygen could disappear before the end of the century. This could lead to fish deaths, reduced biodiversity and the formation of ecological dead zones, according to the researchers. 

Expert warns of “unprecedented extreme weather”

Climate change combined with the El Niño weather phenomenon is making 2026 a year with an unusually high risk of extreme weather, reports TT.

“If there is a strong El Niño later this year, there is a serious risk that climate change will result in unprecedented extreme weather,” says climate professor Friederike Otto at Imperial College in London

Scientists have already noted several extreme weather events, such as record heat waves in Australia and the United States. In 16 countries, mainly in West Africa, fires have burned more than ever since measurements began in 2012.