In the summer of 2002, oxygen levels in the water near the Oregon coast plunged so low that fishes, crabs, and other marine organisms had to flee or die in the suffocating waters.
The low oxygen levels, commonly called hypoxia, observed during 2002 were more extreme than had ever been documented so shallow and close to the shore off Oregon during the prior 50 years of oceanographic cruises. Since 2002 coastal hypoxia has recurred off of Oregon every summer, including many years with severe hypoxia.
These two, double-sided fliers explain this phenomenon.
HYPOXIA OFF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST COAST
SCIENCE OF HYPOXIA
