Since 1985, routine and consistent field data collection in the northern Gulf of Mexico has allowed us to:
- Document the temporal and spatial extent of hypoxia
- Identify the hydrographic, chemical, and biological variables related to the development and maintenance of hypoxia
- Develop predictive models of the relationship between riverine nutrient loading and the size and severity of the hypoxic zone
These long-term physical and biological observations provide a synthetic, interdisciplinary dataset that directly supports greater scientific understanding, improved predictive modeling, and policy development related to nutrient management within the Mississippi River Basin and natural resource management within the Gulf of Mexico.
Methods and Datasets
Our group has utilized three different methods to collect data on hypoxia. These include long-term deployment of instruments on stationary moorings, monthly cruises of fixed offshore transects, and an annual shelfwide cruise to map the widest extent of hypoxia during each summer. Final data are quality controlled and submitted to NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (formerly the NOAA National Oceanographic Data Center.) Select a button below to see more details.