One of the consequences of the rainy conditions in the central US this year has been exceptional runoff of fertilizer and other agricultural chemicals as well as animal waste, most of which make their way down the Mississippi River into the Gulf of Mexico.  These chemicals help lead to the development of a “dead zone” in the Gulf where oxygen levels become so low that aquatic life has a hard time surviving.  This ultimately leads to higher prices for seafood such as shrimp, since they can’t live in the deoxygenated water. This year scientists at Louisiana State University and their colleagues have predicted the dead zone might be almost twice as large this year as last year, when less rain fell in the basin.  You can read more about it at LiveScience at https://www.livescience.com/59594-gulf-of-mexico-dead-zone-could-double.html.

Map showing distribution of bottom-water dissolved oxygen from July 28 to August 3, 2015, west of the Mississippi River delta. Black lined areas — areas in red to deep red — have very little dissolved oxygen.
Credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration