Recent research reveals that wildfires, through the release of aerosols and nutrients into the atmosphere that subsequently deposit into the ocean, can trigger large phytoplankton blooms. While these blooms absorb carbon dioxide, their subsequent decomposition consumes significant oxygen, creating hypoxic (low-oxygen) conditions that harm marine life and, crucially, reduce the ocean’s capacity for long-term carbon storage by disrupting the sequestration process. This nutrient influx can also alter marine ecosystems in ways that potentially diminish their overall carbon sequestration efficiency, highlighting a previously underappreciated pathway through which wildfires negatively impact ocean health and undermine a critical natural climate solution.

Source: Environmental News Network