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:
CBS This Morning – Massive dead zone in Gulf of Mexico
"Largest" dead zone recorded in U.S. threatens marine life Air Date: 08/16/17 The largest dead zone ever recorded in the U.S. has appeared in the Gulf of Mexico. It is primarily caused by fertilizer and [...]
Our Views: Setting a ‘dead zone’ record in Gulf
Advocate Editorial August 5, 2017 Much of Louisiana was built by the sediments brought down over millennia by the great Mississippi River, and it continues today to generate wealth in this country and state as [...]
New Jersey-Size ‘Dead Zone’ Is Largest Ever in Gulf of Mexico
By Casey Smith | National Geographic August 2, 2017 Scientists report the latest data from the Upper Gulf of Mexico, and the results aren’t good. This image of the Gulf of Mexico in the [...]
Study calls for stronger attack on Gulf dead zone
By Keith Magill | Houma Today August 2, 2017 “We will never reach the action plan’s goal of 1,950 square miles until more serious actions are taken to reduce the loss of Midwest fertilizers into [...]
2017 Gulf dead zone is largest ever, size of New Jersey, researchers say
By Mark Schleifstein | The Times-Picayune August 2, 2017 Researchers measured the largest dead zone since 1985 during their 2017 cruise, with this year's low-oxygen area totaling 8,776 square miles, larger than the state [...]
Unwanted Record: Biggest Ever Dead Zone in Gulf of Mexico
By Janet McConnaughey | US News August 2, 2017 There's an unwanted record in the Gulf of Mexico: This year's "dead zone," where there's too little oxygen to support marine life, is the biggest ever [...]
Meat industry blamed for largest-ever ‘dead zone’ in Gulf of Mexico
By Oliver Milman | The Guardian August 1, 2017 A new report shows toxins from suppliers to companies like Tyson Foods are pouring into waterways, causing marine life to leave or die. Toxins from [...]