Mississippi River Gulf Of Mexico Dead Zone

Because freshwater from the river is lighter than the salty seawater it settles as a distinct layer above the seawater. Nasa satellites monitor the health of the oceans and spots the conditions that lead to a dead zone. Explaining the gulf of mexico dead zone.
mississippi river gulf of mexico dead zone

Gulf Of Mexico Is Now The World S Largest Dead Zone Business Insider

Source : www.businessinsider.com

Noaa Forecasts Very Large Dead Zone For Gulf Of Mexico

Source : www.wbrz.com

7n X5oblrfgxim

Source :

Sea Dead Zone At The Gulf Of Mexico The Largest Ever Measured Maritimecyprus

Source : www.maritimecyprus.com

Wet Spring Linked To Forecast For Big Gulf Of Mexico Dead Zone This Summer Noaa Climate Gov

Source : www.climate.gov

Biggest Ever Dead Zone In Gulf Of Mexico Youtube

Source : www.youtube.com

The annual gulf of mexico dead zone is primarily caused by excess nutrient pollution from human activities in urban and agricultural areas throughout the mississippi river watershed.

Mississippi river gulf of mexico dead zone. The amount of nutrients it discharges into the gulf of mexico is correspondingly large. The 5 year average is now down to 5408 square miles. Recent reports indicate that the large region of low oxygen water often referred to as the dead zone has spread across nearly 5800 square miles of the gulf of mexico again in what appears to be an annual event.

While it seems contradictory nutrients brought in from the river that fuel the regions plant wildlife and fisheries productivity are the same nutrients that contribute to the formation of a low oxygen area along parts of the gulfs. The mississippi river and the gulf of mexico dead zone. Every summer a low oxygen area often referred to as a dead zone develops off of the texas louisiana shelf when nutrient laden fresh water from the mississippi and atchafalaya rivers flows into the gulf of mexico.

Dead zone the dead zone is area in the gulf of mexico where life cannot exist because there is too little oxygen in the water. 2020 gulf of mexico hypoxic zone size the 2020 gulf of mexico hypoxic zone or dead zone measured 2116 square miles and was the 3rd smallest in the 34 year record of surveys. The gulf of mexico dead zone is an area of hypoxic link to usgs definition less than 2 ppm dissolved oxygen waters at the mouth of the mississippi river.

Annually the mississippi river collects roughly ten thousand pounds of fertilizer and raw sewage pollution from 31 states and some of canada. The resulting low oxygen levels near the bottom of the gulf cannot support most marine life. The gulf of mexico dead zone is the 2nd largest dead zone in the world and is directly related to the levels of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution entering the mississippi river.

No other north american river has a drainage basin as large as that of the mississippi. The earlier forecast for the dead zone was higher at 6700 square miles. Its area varies in size but can cover up to 6000 7000 square miles.

The dead zone in the gulf of mexico is the second largest in the world. Reducing the dead zone. The zone occurs between the inner and mid continental shelf in the northern gulf of mexico beginning at the mississippi river delta and extending westward to the upper texas coast.

The dead zone is shown on the map to the left in red. Dead zones are expanding throughout the world. This year given the length of the flood on the mississippi river and the volume of nutrient laden water the hypoxic area in the gulf of mexico covers an area of almost 7000 square miles.

When the excess nutrients reach the gulf they stimulate an overgrowth of algae which eventually die and decompose depleting oxygen as they sink to the bottom. This means that it is reversible even preventable if proper control measures are enacted by the federal government and states in the mississippi river basin.