<p>The atmospheric concentration of oxygen is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxygen" rel="nofollow noreferrer">20.8 percent</a>, which is a significantly large proportion of the atmosphere.</p>
<p>Oxygen is being <a href="https://www.oxygenlevels.org/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">depleted</a> because of the <a href="https://cdiac.ess-dive.lbl.gov/trends/oxygen/modern_records.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">burning of fossil fuels</a>, but the rate of depletion is very small compared to the amount of oxygen present in the atmosphere.</p>
<p>The burning of fossil fuels is more of problem for oxygen depletion than the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere. There is no risk of hypoxia due to increases in atmospheric water vapor. What risk there is is of increased humidity and temperature discomfort resulting from that.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-09-25T08:44:39.693Z
2021-09-25T08:44:39.693Z
Fred
<p>I recently found that each degree of warming increases water vapour by 7% and I've also learned that the atmosphere contains (on average) between 1-5% water vapour when saturated, this confused me a bit, and I wondered if this could affect the oxygen concentrations in big cities or maybe the effect is too small.</p>

<meteorology><climate-change><atmosphere><atmospheric-chemistry><climatology>
Does increased water vapour in atmosphere increase the risk of hypoxia?
Victor1995
# Does increased water vapour in atmosphere increase the risk of hypoxia?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-09-25)

I recently found that each degree of warming increases water vapour by 7% and I've also learned that the atmosphere contains (on average) between 1-5% water vapour when saturated, this confused me a bit, and I wondered if this could affect the oxygen concentrations in big cities or maybe the effect is too small.

**Tags:** meteorology, climate-change, atmosphere, atmospheric-chemistry, climatology


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2021-09-25. Score: 2

The atmospheric concentration of oxygen is [20.8 percent](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxygen), which is a significantly large proportion of the atmosphere.

Oxygen is being [depleted](https://www.oxygenlevels.org/) because of the [burning of fossil fuels](https://cdiac.ess-dive.lbl.gov/trends/oxygen/modern_records.html), but the rate of depletion is very small compared to the amount of oxygen present in the atmosphere.

The burning of fossil fuels is more of problem for oxygen depletion than the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere. There is no risk of hypoxia due to increases in atmospheric water vapor. What risk there is is of increased humidity and temperature discomfort resulting from that.


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