Trends in oxygen saturation of near-bottom layers in the Barents Sea: a possible indicator of long-term variations in the primary production?

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It is a common knowledge that a reduction in oxygen content in near-bottom layers generally results in an increase in the primary production and water bloom. In the ocean, the biochemical consumption of oxygen for destruction of organic matter is practically equal to its production by photosynthesis, i.e. it is proportionate to the primary production. Therefore, a possible explanation for a periodic decrease in oxygen concentrations in near-bottom layers in the Barents Sea is an increase in its biochemical consumption for destruction of organic matter subsiding from the photic zone.