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:
Below-average ‘dead zone’ measured in Gulf of Mexico
NOAA News July 31, 2018 Persistently strong westerly winds and waves likely led to smaller than expected zone size NOAA-supported scientists have determined that this year’s Gulf of Mexico “dead zone”— an area of low [...]
USDA Extends Its Landmark Water Quality Initiatives Through 2023
USDA News Release July 19, 2018 WASHINGTON, July 19, 2018 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced plans to extend two of its landmark water quality initiatives for five years. The Mississippi River [...]
![Doug Daigle, a research associate of Louisiana State University’s Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences and coordinator of the Louisiana Hypoxia Working Group (far right), takes notes today during a meeting on the Nicholls State University campus. [Abby Tabor/Staff -- dailycomet/houmatoday]](https://gulfhypoxia.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Houma_Today_July2018-177x142.jpg)
Group studying low-oxygen levels in bodies of water meets at Nicholls
Doug Daigle, a research associate of Louisiana State University’s Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences and coordinator of the Louisiana Hypoxia Working Group (far right), takes notes today during a meeting on the Nicholls [...]
Iowa must clean up its mess in the Gulf. Current funding, voluntary efforts aren’t enough.
Iowa's contribution to Mississippi River basin nitrate levels. (Photo: Lyndsey Nielsen/USA Today Network) Register Editorial Board / Des Moines Register June 28, 2018 Iowa Natural Resources Trust offers best solution to reduce farm [...]
Area of Global Dead Zones Doubling Every 10 Years
A diver observes filamentous algae, locally known as thanatos, at La Ciotat in the Mediterranean sea, on July 4, 2015. Recent global warming has caused a major algal bloom on the seabed, suffocating flora [...]
Gulf of Mexico ‘Dead Zone’ expected to be larger than Connecticut this summer, scientists say
Steve Hardy / The Advocate June 7, 2018 Once again, the Gulf of Mexico "dead zone" must be measured in the size of a U.S. state. LSU scientists predict this summer's iteration will exceed the [...]
Guest column: A call for help on Dead Zone
Doug Daigle / The Advocate June 7, 2018 2018 has become a pivotal year for the long-standing problem of the Gulf of Mexico Hypoxic Zone, commonly known as the “Dead Zone.” The large area of [...]