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Dead zone in Gulf of Mexico matches New Jersey's size.

NOAA underestimated Gulf Coast dead zone. Marine life is at risk, and recovery will be a long game.

Published August 5, 2024 at 6:00pm by Alexis Simmerman

Massive "Dead Zone" in Gulf of Mexico now the Size of New Jersey

For decades, a vast "dead zone" has been appearing off the coasts of Louisiana and Texas in the Gulf of Mexico. This year, it's worse than ever, federal scientists announced https://www.noaa.gov/news-release/gulf-of-mexico-dead-zone-larger-than-average-scientists-find.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA] reports that this oxygen-depleted area, harmful to sea life, has entered the top third of the largest dead zones in 38 years of records.

“Nutrient pollution impacts water bodies across the country and [here] has resulted in a dead zone, where low to no oxygen does not support fish and marine life,” - Bruno Pigott, EPA’s Office of Water.

This year's zone is about 6,705 square miles, 1,000 square miles larger than predicted. https://www.noaa.gov/news-release/noaa-forecasts-above-average-summer-dead-zone-in-gulf-of-mexico Nitrogen-rich fertilizer runoff from agriculture is the primary cause.

Dead Zones = Oceanic Suffocation

Nitrogen-rich nutrients feed algae blooms, and when the algae die, oxygen is consumed faster than it can be replenished, leading to suffocation of marine life, from fish to shrimp.

“It's critical we measure this region's hypoxia as an indicator of ocean health...The benefit of this long-term data set is that it helps decision-makers adjust strategies to reduce the dead zone.” - Nicole LeBoeuf, NOAA's National Ocean Service.

While efforts are being made to mitigate the problem, a 2018 Science journal study [1] says even if nutrient runoff is eliminated, it will take at least 30 years for the Gulf to recover.

[1] https://science.sciencemag.org/content/361/6398/79.full?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=711a6b7e19cc008f469edf18bc91a193695727803-1677343974-0-gqNtZGzNAk9pKkiMgzgSrxiDaQbCo7CQVwkyxM0oIzG4GchaDEyJBvwtOmjZAwH31cieQHHULrSBlYapeUYNSr9UlVZlcW-NujrsymBsuFoWPgGNseMwGwL_qJ-LH2yLDEJBdDbsHULReGZ1GWx8picmx0rRWhGywirLnnOH сибирь00G8rjAfyWkQfnZYxneWTSt5daQ3QwyJyGnwthIvMZIUmXFuZстрJK6pDlhVA4JgIymOaMvVNMj76zvQSAvf7RGYIn9UsdxhKcp1ITbGeVPAYU0TOSfHRxDEKqzWRzRIFRywutrZJZZQnRsqkKRsRdjrajZaSwxaVZ5TO6vGF7J6AD