Gulf of Mexico’s Huge Dead Zone This Year

This year, the Gulf of Mexico's dead zone, which is basically a big chunk of water with hardly any oxygen, has gotten to a crazy size of 6,705 square miles. That's like saying it's the 12th biggest area of its kind in the last 38 years we've been keeping track. It's not cool because it's really bad for all the fish and stuff that live there.

What’s Happening in the Dead Zone

This dead zone covers over four million acres, and it's not a good place for sea creatures that like to hang out on the ocean floor. The water's so low on oxygen that it makes it really tough for them to live, make babies, and keep their whole ecosystem going.

Survey Stuff and What They Want to Do About It

Every year, some folks from Louisiana State University and the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON) go on a trip on a boat called the Pelican and check out the dead zone. They're working with the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force, which is a big group of state and federal buddies trying to shrink this dead zone to less than 1,900 square miles on average over five years by 2035. But right now, it's still way too big.

Nicole LeBoeuf, who's a big cheese at NOAA’s National Ocean Service, says this info is super important because it tells us how healthy our oceans are, especially with all the weird weather we've been having lately.

What They Thought Would Happen vs. What Really Happened

Back in June, some folks at NOAA guessed the dead zone would be around 5,827 square miles. When they measured it, it was actually a bit bigger, but still pretty close to what they thought. Nancy Rabalais, a smarty-pants professor, said it's all part of the game they've been playing for almost 40 years, trying to figure out how big these dead zones can get.

Why the Dead Zone Keeps Getting Bigger

The main reason for the dead zone is that there's too much nitrogen and phosphorus coming from the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin. This stuff makes algae go nuts and use up all the oxygen when they die, leaving fish and other critters gasping for air.

They're Trying to Fix It

The EPA is really worried about this, so they started the Gulf Hypoxia Program with a big chunk of money ($60 million) to cut down on all these nutrients. They're also making sure this helps out the poorer communities around the Gulf.

They’re Keeping an Eye on It

NOAA doesn't just do these yearly boat trips; they're also playing with cool tech like autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs) to keep an eye on the dead zones. It's like having little robot boats that can tell us more about these low-oxygen areas.

So, What’s the Deal?

If you want to know more about this, you should sign up for their email thing. And if you're into this kind of news, check out EarthSnap, an app that's all about our planet.

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