RSOE Report –
“A recent expedition to the Gulf of Mexico has yielded the largest ‘dead zone’ ever recorded in the area. Measuring 8,776 square miles, this massive patch of oxygen depleted water is wreaking havoc on the Gulf’s marine life – a consequence of unchecked agricultural runoff pouring down from the Mississippi River. Dead zones appear in the Gulf every summer, and the typical size is around 5,800 square miles. Back in 2002, scientists detected an unusually large dead zone stretching for 8,497 square miles, but this new one, detected just last week, is now the largest ever recorded. At a whopping 8,776 square miles (22,730 sq km), it’s 4.6 times larger than the target size set by the Gulf Hypoxia Task Force. In the words of the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, this finding shows that “nutrient pollution, primarily from agriculture and developed land runoff in the Mississippi River watershed is continuing to affect the nation’s coastal resources and habitats in the Gulf.” Hypoxia is a fancy term for low oxygen, and it’s primarily a problem for estuaries and coastal waters . . . . “ (more)
