The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports that the "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico is growing. The cause of the problem is excess nutrients from agriculture and cities.
Scientists have determined this year’s Gulf of Mexico “dead zone,” an area of low oxygen that can kill fish and marine life, is 8,776 square miles, an area about the size of New Jersey. It is the largest measured since dead zone mapping began there in 1985.
The measured size is close to the 8,185 square miles forecast by NOAA in June.
Also see: Nutrient Pollution Sources and Solutions
Scientific report on Gulf of Mexico hypoxia.
Ensemble modeling informs hypoxia management in the northern Gulf of Mexico
Donald Scaviaa,b,1, Isabella Bertania, Daniel R. Obenourc, R. Eugene Turnerd, David R. Forreste, and Alexey Katinc
Author Affiliations
Edited by Jonathan J. Cole, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Avon, NC, and approved July 7, 2017 (received for review March 31, 2017)