NOAA scientists have forecast that the annual “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico, currently referred to as the Gulf of America by the U.S. government, will be 5,574 square miles – just slightly higher than the long-term average of 5,244 square miles.
The dead zone is a massive hypoxic area caused by excess nutrient pollution and other discharges into the Mississippi-Atchafalaya watershed, which feeds algae growth in the Gulf of Mexico.
“When these algae die and decompose, they deplete oxygen in the water as they sink to the bottom,” NOAA's National Ocean Service said in a release. “Large dead zones lead to extensive habitat loss for several ecologically and economically important species in the Gulf, proving detrimental to U.S. seafood and tourism industries.”
On average, the dead zone is roughly the size of the U.S. state of Connecticut.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported discharge into the watershed to be about ...
