A New Jersey-sized area of the Gulf of Mexico has been declared a dead one this year, the largest ever observed in the region. This means that the nutrient load in the water is so high that algal blooms which feed on the nutrients have depleted all of the oxygen in the water, making it impossible for life to survive there. Fish can usually migrate out of the area, but anchored sea life has no way to escape the oxygen-poor waters and often dies. The nutrients come mainly from fertilizer that has been washed off of fields in the Corn Belt and other states (25 or more in all) and transported to the Gulf down the Mississippi River. Here are some stories discussing the unprecedented event.
The Weather Network: New Jersey-sized ‘dead zone” measured in Gulf of Mexico
AgWeb: Largest Recorded “Dead Zone” calls for Nutrient Loss Reduction
Modern Farmer: Tyson and Other Meat Companies Linked to Biggest-Ever Dead Zone in the Gulf
EarthSky: Largest-ever Gulf of Mexico dead zone
