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Twenty-five years of research shows that the offshore summer hypoxic (low-oxygen) "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico is strongly linked to nutrient loading from the Mississippi River. Physical forces (i.e., wind, waves, currents, temperature) play an equally strong role as biological variables (i.e., phytoplankton growth/decay, photosynthesis/respiration) in creating and maintaining Louisiana shelf hypoxia fed by Mississippi River nutrients. Recent research reveals that nearshore areas are possibly a key to fueling offshore hypoxia, more than previously thought. [Source: National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science]
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