The photo above shows a bloom of phytoplankton that formed east of New Zealand between Oct. 11 and Oct. 25, 2009. (NASA)
Global warming has caused a slew of ominous weather-related disasters, scientists say, from intensifying droughts to epic flooding and likely contribute to powerful storms. A new study has revealed another possible consequence: a lack of oxygen on Earth.
Conducted by scientists from Britain’s University of Leicester, the study found that an increase of about 10.8˚ F (6˚ C) in the temperature of the world’s oceans could prevent phytoplankton’s oxygen production by disrupting photosynthesis, reports NDTV.
“It would mean oxygen depletion not only in the water, but also in the air,” said the research team. “Should it happen, it would obviously kill most of life on Earth.”
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