The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasts a larger than average Gulf of Mexico "dead zone" this year of 5,847 square miles. That's about the size of Connecticut. It's a hypoxic area of low oxygen than can kill marine life. USCG "Hypoxia Bandit" helps scientists track the size of this area of water for observance over time. Photo by USGS Lower Mississippi Gulf Water Science Center
June 14 (UPI) -- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has forecast a larger than average Gulf of Mexico "dead zone" this year of 5,847 square miles. That's about the size of Connecticut.
It's a hypoxic area of low oxygen and it can kill fish and other marine life. It appears every summer, but the average size over 37 years is 5,205 square miles, according to NOAA.
"Reducing the impact of hypoxic events and lessening the occurrence and intensity of future dead zones continues to be a NOAA priority," said National Ocean Service Assistant Administrator Nicole LeBoeuf in a statement. "These forecasts are designed to provide crucial data to scientists, coastal managers and communities, and are used as guideposts in the development of planning actions."
These zones form from excess nitrate and phosphorus discharged from the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin. Those discharges stimulate overgrowth of algae.
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When the algae die and decompose and sink to the bottom of the gulf, oxygen in the water is depleted. The "dead zones" cause fish and shrimp to vacate the area.
The Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force has a long-term goal of cutting the dead zone down to 1,900 square miles by 2025.
The forecasts by NOAA help predict how the hypoxia zone is linked to fertilizer chemicals in the Mississippi-Atchafalaya watershed.
In 2023, the Gulf of Mexico "dead zone" was smaller than expected.
According to a NOAA-supported survey done by Louisiana State University and the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium scientists, the dead zone was 3,058 square miles that year and was the seventh smallest since record-keeping on it started in 1985.
NOAA said in 2019 that the zone was expected to grow larger in coming years due to changing global weather patterns, heavier rains and worse flooding.
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FAQs
While the NOAA-supported research surveys provide a one-time snapshot of the dead zone, the five-year average captures the dynamic and changing nature of the zone over time. The five-year average size of the dead zone is now 4,298 square miles, more than two times larger than the 2035 target.
How big is the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico 2024? ›
NCCOS-supported scientists have determined that this year's Gulf of Mexico “dead zone” — an area of low oxygen that can kill fish and marine life — is approximately 6,705 square miles, equivalent to more than four million acres of habitat potentially unavailable to fish and bottom species.
Why does the Gulf of Mexico possess a very large dead zone? ›
What Causes the Dead Zone? Heavy rains and melting snows washed massive amounts of nutrients—particularly nitrogen and phosphorus—from lawns, sewage treatment plants, farm land and other sources along the Mississippi River into the Gulf of Mexico.
Which year did the Gulf of Mexico have the largest dead zone area? ›
The size varies annually from a record high in 2017 when it encompassed more than 22,730 square kilometers (8,776 square miles) to a record low in 1988 of 39 square kilometers (15 square miles).
What is the biggest dead zone in the world? ›
The largest dead zone in the world lies in the Arabian Sea, covering almost the entire 63,700-square mile Gulf of Oman. The second largest sits in the Gulf of Mexico in the United States, averaging almost 6,000 square miles in size.
Which is the largest river in North America responsible for the large dead zone that forms each summer in the Gulf of Mexico? ›
Every summer, a low-oxygen area, often referred to as a Dead Zone, develops off of the Texas-Louisiana shelf when nutrient-laden fresh water from the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers flows into the Gulf of Mexico.
Is the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico as big as New Jersey? ›
The exact size of the Gulf dead zone varies each year. Scientists collect water samples across the Gulf to determine the size. The dead zone can be as large as the state of New Jersey. That means millions of acres of habitat potentially unavailable to fish and bottom species.
How much would it cost to fix the Gulf of Mexico dead zone? ›
To meet the national policy goal of reducing the hypoxic zone to 5,000 km2, a goal set by the national Gulf of Mexico Task Force, the US would need to invest about $2.7 billion annually, researchers found.
Why is the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico devoid of life? ›
Less oxygen dissolved in the water is often referred to as a “dead zone” because most marine life either dies, or, if they are mobile such as fish, leave the area. Habitats that would normally be teeming with life become, essentially, biological deserts.
How to fix the Gulf of Mexico dead zone? ›
The key to minimizing the Gulf dead zone is to address it at the source. Solutions include: Using fewer fertilizers and adjusting the timing of fertilizer applications to limit runoff of excess nutrients from farmland. Control of animal wastes so that they are not allowed to enter into waterways.
Dead zones are areas of water bodies where aquatic life cannot survive because of low oxygen levels. Dead zones are generally caused by significant nutrient pollution, and are primarily a problem for bays, lakes and coastal waters since they receive excess nutrients from upstream sources.
What statement is true about the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico? ›
The true statement about the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico is that it is an area of high nutrient content and low oxygen where there is no aquatic life. This occurs when excessive nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, enter the water from various sources, like agricultural runoff and sewage.
Why doesn't the Mississippi River mix with the Gulf? ›
Alan said that's because water layers of different temperature, salinity, and density don't like to mix. So the fresher water coming in from, say, the Mississippi River, doesn't mix well with the hypoxic water on the bottom. Alan said this layering of the water is called stratification.
How long does the Gulf of Mexico dead zone last? ›
The zone forms west of the Mississippi Delta over the continental shelf off Louisiana and sometimes extends off Texas. The oxygen depletion begins in late spring, increases in summer, and ends in the fall.
How can dead zones be reversed? ›
Fortunately, dead zones are reversible if their causes are reduced or eliminated. For example, a huge dead zone in the Black Sea largely disappeared in the 1990s following the fall of the Soviet Union, after which there was a huge spike in the cost of chemical fertilizers throughout the region.
Are ocean dead zones increasing? ›
Warmer temperatures and increased runoff of freshwater will increase stratification of the water column, thus further promoting the formation of dead zones. Increased runoff will also increase nutrient inputs into coastal waterbodies.
How might an increase in the size of a dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico affect the red snapper fishery or other fisheries? ›
An increase in the dead zones might cause a decrease in the red snapper fishery, or other fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico, because there would not be enough oxygen for the fish to survive. This would mean fewer fish, and that the fishermen would not have as much to catch so they would make less money.
Is the Gulf of Mexico dead zone seasonal? ›
It occurs every summer and is primarily a result of excess nutrient pollution from human activities in cities and farm areas throughout the Mississippi-Atchafalaya watershed. The average dead zone measurement is 5,205 square miles over the 37-year period of record.
