ISTANBUL, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Severe oxygen depletion has been detected beyond the first 30 meters of the Marmara Sea in northwestern Türkiye, making it inhospitable for fish, Hurriyet Daily News reported on Wednesday.
A study conducted by the Institute of Marine Sciences at Middle East Technical University showed that at depths of 150 to 200 meters in the Marmara Sea, oxygen levels have become extremely low and nearly unmeasurable, a condition experts describe as "a state of coma," the daily reported.
According to the study, rising temperatures, deoxygenation, and pollution are creating a vicious cycle that worsens the situation.
Mustafa Yucel, deputy director of the institute, was quoted as saying that nitrogen and phosphorus pollution in the Marmara Sea continued to increase, while water temperatures fluctuate at least two to three degrees above average.
He warned that this trend could lead to a disaster, signaling the collapse of the entire nutrient system and food chain.
In 2021, the Marmara Sea faced a severe mucilage outbreak caused by pollution, which depleted oxygen in the water and harmed marine life.
The Marmara Sea, an inland sea connecting the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea via the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits, is surrounded by a densely populated region with numerous industrial plants.
