When seawater begins to freeze at the surface, pure ice crystals form and push out the salt, leaving behind pockets of extremely cold, salty brine. This dense brine seeps downward through cracks in the ice. Because it is much colder and heavier than the seawater around it, it sinks — freezing the water it touches as it falls.
Ocean deoxygenation has detrimental repercussions. Fish, crabs and other significant species of marine life that are unable to flee these low oxygen zones may perish as a result. People who depend on them for food and employment may be subsequently impacted by their absence as many of these species are economically significant.
Additionally, there is a negative feedback loop at play: as ocean oxygen levels decline, so does its capacity to absorb carbon dioxide. This may cause global warming to accelerate even further.
