The past to unravel the future: Deoxygenation events in the geological archive and the anthropocene oxygen crisis

Despite the observation that we are witnessing a true oxygen crisis, the ocean deoxygenation theme is getting less attention from the media and population compared to other environmental stressors concerning climate change. The current ocean oxygen crisis is characterized by a complex interplay of climatic, biological, and oceanographic processes acting at different time scales. Earth system models offer insights into future deoxygenation events and their potential extent; however, their capacity to precisely constrain these events is complicated by the intricate interplay of various interconnected feedback mechanisms. The Earth’s geological history has been punctuated by regional and global deoxygenation events, which are usually expressed by organic-rich sediment in the geological record and can be useful past analogues of the present-day and future oxygenation crisis related to current climatic stress. Accordingly, we provide an overview of the key elements characterizing past deoxygenation events, aiming for a better understanding of the Anthropocene oxygen crisis and its potential evolution. We suggest that past global deoxygenation events during hypethermals may bear similarities to present-day dynamics in the open ocean. Additionally, we explore the significance of regional deoxygenation events with cyclical occurrences for better constraining environmental dynamics and ecological impacts in semi-enclosed, restricted, and marginal basins. Despite the unprecedented magnitude and rate of current anthropogenic pressures, it is essential to consider the comparison of triggers and feedbacks from ancient deoxygenation events when investigating the future of this concealed but ecologically impactful problem.