COSEE Ocean Systems: News
Dealing with Dead Zones: Hypoxia in the Ocean
Description: Hypoxic zones are areas in the ocean where the oxygen concentration is so low that animals can suffocate and die, and as a result are often called "dead zones." The largest hypoxic zone in the United States, and the second largest hypoxic zone worldwide, forms in the northern Gulf of Mexico adjacent to the Mississippi River. Runoff from farms and cities drains into the Mississippi. This runoff contains an overabundance of nutrients from fertilizers, wastewater treatment plants, and other sources. This nutrient pollution eventually ends up in the Gulf of Mexico, leading to the formation of hypoxic "dead zones." Learn more about this problem listening to this podcast from NOAA National Ocean Service. [Source: NOAA National Ocean Service]
URL: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/podcast/feb18/nop13-hypoxia.html
Availability: Full Text
Source: NOAA National Ocean Service
Publish Date: 2/23/2018
Reading Level: Basic
Page Length:  

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