The Gulf of Mexico has a dead zone the size of the state of Connecticut. Scientists from the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found an area of 5,052 square miles of low oxygen water or hypoxia in their annual survey. The Gulf of Mexico dead zone is caused by nutrients that wash into the Gulfs waters, which in turn boost the growth of algae blooms that suck up the oxygen. These nutrients come from human activities, such as agriculture and wastewater according to NOAA and the U.S. Geological Survey. The nutrients end up in the Mississippi River which deposits them into the Gulf.
Posted on: Tue, 05 Aug 2014 13:43:19 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015