2018 Shelfwide Cruise – Completed
The bottom area of low oxygen in Louisiana coastal waters west of the Mississippi River, commonly known as the ‘Dead Zone,’ was mapped at a smaller-than-average size this summer. The area was 2,720 square miles (7,040 square kilometers), slightly larger than the state of Delaware and well below the projected estimate of 6,570 square miles (17,000 square kilometers). Click here for the full Press Release.
Cruise Dedication
The 2018 shelf-wide cruise to determine the extent of low oxygen bottom waters on the Louisiana-Texas continental shelf is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Wesley J. Tunnell, Jr. who passed away on Saturday, July 14, 2018, after a long successful and not successful battle with cancer.
What is hypoxia?
Hypoxia, or low oxygen, is an environmental phenomenon where the concentration of dissolved oxygen in the water column decreases to a level that can no longer support living aquatic organisms. Hypoxic areas, or “Dead Zones,” have increased in duration and frequency across our planet’s oceans since first being noted in the 1970s.
The largest hypoxic zone currently affecting the United States, and the second largest hypoxic zone worldwide, is the northern Gulf of Mexico adjacent to the Mississippi River.
Gulf hypoxia in the news:
Guest column: La. can learn from red tide
Matt Rota / The Advocate 8 October 2018 There is an environmental crisis in Florida right now. The red tide has spread to the Atlantic coast, and it’s affecting some of the most popular beaches [...]
The Strangest Deep-Sea Creatures Washed Ashore by Hurricanes
It’s not easy to push an alligator around, but hurricanes have been known to move them miles from home. Shown here is a resident of Everglades National Park, Florida. Photograph by Keith Ladzinski, National [...]
Another reason Florida’s Red Tide is so bad this year: Pollution from the Mississippi River
Craig Pittman / Tampa Bay Times 20 September 2018 Red Tide influenced by Mississippi River: Scientists say pollution flowing into the Gulf of Mexico is fueling the Red Tide algae bloom, and making it resemble [...]
Covering extreme weather: What to avoid and how to get it right
(Pixabay) Chloe Reichel / Journalist’s Resource 30 August 2018 When extreme weather occurs, questions of whether and how climate change contributed to the event loom large. According to Rick Weiss, director of SciLine and past [...]
In Minn., Gulf shrimpers meet farmers trying to save their catch
Lance Nacio, left, and Randy Skinner are Gulf Coast shrimp fishermen who traveled to Minnesota last week to talk about the impact of Mississippi River pollution their industry. Kirsti Marohn | MPR News [...]
Battling the Dead Zone
Mindy Cooper / Environmental Monitor Summer 2018 Issue During the summer of 2017, researchers with the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON) and Louisiana State University mapped the largest dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico [...]
Maryland Department of Natural Resources Late July 2018 Hypoxia Report
Graph and map showing dissolved oxygen levels Maryland Department of Natural Resources August 10, 2018 Heavy Rainfall and Sustained Winds Helped Produce Best Recorded Results Ever Due to extreme summer weather, dissolved oxygen [...]