Editing Oxygen minimum zone (section)

{{Short description|Zone in which oxygen saturation in seawater in the ocean is at its lowest}}
{{About|a natural phenomenon in the ocean at particular depths|expansion of the OMZ due to climate change|ocean deoxygenation}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}}
The '''oxygen minimum zone''' ('''OMZ'''), sometimes referred to as the '''shadow zone''', is the zone in which [[oxygen saturation]] in seawater in the [[ocean]] is at its lowest. This zone occurs at depths of about {{convert|200|to(-)|1500|m|ft|-2|abbr=on}}, depending on local circumstances. OMZs are found worldwide, typically along the western coast of continents, in areas where an interplay of physical and biological processes concurrently lower the oxygen concentration (biological processes) and restrict the water from mixing with surrounding waters (physical processes), creating a "pool" of water where oxygen concentrations fall from the normal range of 4–6&nbsp;mg/L to below 2&nbsp;mg/L.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Biological Oceanography: An Introduction|last1=Lalli|first1=Carol|last2=Parsons|first2=Timothy|publisher=Oxford|year=1993|isbn=0-7506-2742-5}}</ref>