So once again the AlanB makes some scientific claims. Unfortunately Alan's access to google must be down because if he did the slightest bit of research before launching into must-be-first-to-comment mode he'd have discovered that oxygen is actually toxic at the 50%+ levels that he claims: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxygen_toxicity

(Also, as an aside, not only is oxygen toxic at these levels but you sure as hell wouldn't want to be making any sparks near anything that is flammable. Every day stuff that surrounds us, such as clothing, would burn very easily at these levels.)

JFAus..

Most people's idea of a healthy ocean is from a surfboard.
I witness the appalling state it is, submerged in it, and it ain't always pretty.
Not helped at all by local council installation of a sewage outfall, planted in the river eighteen months ago in my local area. Sewage vandalism!

Sydney sewage outfall was extended 3klm into the ocean off Bondi...out of sight out of mind. Who checks the checkers, since local councils are the public health officials! But yet it's them installing crude sewage outfall systems to this day...again, sewage vandalism...

thinkabit.

Google reveals medical oxygen is 99.5 percent oxygen.

To my knowledge oxygen becomes toxic to humans only when human lungs are subjected to increased pressure such as when diving deeper underwater.

Diver Dan.

Yes. Spot on.

If your river is on the east coast of Australia the prevailing SE winds push the sewage fresh water bonded nutrient load against the coast where that nutrient is often drawn by tides into bay and estuary ecosystems.

And media dumbed down councils are hounding and harassing live aboard seafarers who are part of the marine economy.

JF Aus: If you read the wiki article that I linked to (ie: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxygen_toxicity) you will see that oxygen *is* toxic at 50% of normal atmospheric pressure. Indeed, it indicates that it is toxic at a partial pressure as low as only 30kPa which at standard atmospheric pressure is very close to 30%.

It is impossible for early humans to survived and reproduced with 50% oxygen in the atmosphere. Yet this is what Alan claims- but not only is he saying that we can survive at 50% but that it is better for us and that somehow us humans have caused it to decrease from 50% to <20% which is causing all sorts of maladies.

Now, not that any of this talk about oxygen has anything to do with the original article but so often I've seen AlanB state stuff about science (and also economics but that's another story) which is simply a lie. Because I have a university level science based background it annoys me no end when people state things in a way that could convince people that it appears to be sound and well founded but is really just bluff and bull that is factually incorrect. Indeed, I'd prefer to read some of runner's comments regarding science instead: because it's better to say absolute complete utter nonsense than some false "sciency" sounding facts that could be preceived as true.

I think it essential to talk about health of oceans and atmosphere and especially to talk about oxygen production, levels underwater, and loss of oxygen due to unprecedented anthropogenic proliferated algae taking up oxygen when under dense cloud and at night.

In the Kelvin documents you referred to I don’t see any measurement or assessment or even mention of ocean algae plant matter that produces oxygen during photosynthesis, in oceans that produce over 50 percent of world oxygen. Some people say well over 50 percent.

The government of Norway is very concerned about health of the whole Baltic Sea that is now said to have the world’s biggest dead zone.
Dead zones are killing fish and coral, and devastated fish supply is linked to malnutrition and various disease, matters I have studied since 1982.

Aquaculture is not the answer because the end product is too costly for the majority of would be consumers.
Unfortunately aquaculture waste is a point source of nutrient overload pollution, that in addition to dumping of human sewage nutrient is linked to dead zones and also to the El Nino and impact.
Sorry to have to say it, but it is inevitable these problems and consequences become understood and reversed (a.s.a.p).
(Aquaculture interests should be provided with legislation to farm open oceans and bays without pens and tanks, legislation to protect effort and investment.
The Law of the Sea is out of date.

I think there is enough evidence of substance to establish incidence of chronic disease will continue to increase because shortfall in affordable food is worsening unchecked and is not properly or duly investigated and generally reported.
Media seems reluctant to refer to the massive sewage nutrient loading dumped daily from government and big business sewage ‘treatment’ plants, into ocean ecosystems.

Think about health of the environment and dissolved oxygen, not just about oxygen above sea level.
Ocean management and available oxygen are keys to water recycling and ecosystem rehabilitation.

f.y.i.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1637951/pdf/envhper00304-0022-color.pdf

The greatest problem with our health system is that the profession is not treating the cause of an illness, but the symptoms. That never leads to a cure. So we have chronic diseases, which give the medical profession and pharmaceutical companies great profits and will continue because of it.