Home > Man-Made Disasters, Mass Animal Deaths, Natural Disasters > Gulf of Mexico ‘Dead Zone’ May Triple in Size, Could Become the ‘Largest Ever Recorded’

Gulf of Mexico ‘Dead Zone’ May Triple in Size, Could Become the ‘Largest Ever Recorded’

07/19/2011 Leave a comment Go to comments

“Researchers measuring the ‘dead zone’ in the Gulf of Mexico say it is currently about 3,300 square miles but some scientists say it could become much larger.

The so-called ‘dead zone,’ caused by nitrogen levels in the gulf related to human activities such as agricultural runoff, occurs when oxygen levels in seawater drop to dangerously low levels, causing severe hypoxia that can potentially result in fish kills and harm marine life.

Researchers from Texas A&M University say the size of the dead zone off coastal Louisiana has been routinely monitored for about 25 years while nitrogen levels in the gulf resulting from human activities have tripled over the past 50 years.

Some researchers predict the dead zone could exceed 9,400 square miles this year, which would make it one of the largest ever recorded.” Read more.

Categories: Man-Made Disasters, Mass Animal Deaths, Natural Disasters
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