Gulf Of Mexico ‘Dead Zone’ Expands To 6,705 Square Miles, 12th Largest On Record

NOAA-supported scientists announced that the Gulf of Mexico’s “dead zone” had expanded to around 6,705 square miles this year, making it the 12th largest zone measured in 38 years.

The area of minimal to no oxygen, where fish and other marine life struggle to survive, covers more than 4 million acres, or nearly the size of New Jersey. The size of the dead zone this year indicates the region’s continued environmental challenges.

Scientists from Louisiana State University and the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON) took the measurements aboard the research vessel Pelican between July 21 and July 26.

The Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force relies heavily on this annual study to determine the Gulf’s health.

The state-federal collaboration intends to reduce the dead zone’s five-year average extent to less than 1,900 square miles by 2035.

The dead zone’s average size over the last five years has been 4,298 square miles, more than doubling the target for 2035.

Nicole LeBoeuf, the Assistant Administrator of NOAA’s National Ocean Service stated that they must measure the region’s hypoxia as an indicator of ocean health, especially with a changing climate and potential storm intensification, as well as increases in precipitation and runoff.

The long-term data helps decision-makers in developing plans to reduce the dead zone’s impact on coastal resources and communities.

According to NOAA’s June prediction, the Mississippi River discharge and nutrient runoff data indicated an above-average dead zone of 5,827 square miles. The actual measured size was within the forecast’s uncertainty range, proving the accuracy of nutrient reduction models.

Nancy Rabalais, Ph.D., professor at Louisiana State University and the ship’s co-chief scientist stated that the area of bottom-water hypoxia was larger than predicted, but within the range experienced over the nearly four decades of this research cruise.

The dead zone is mostly caused by extra nutrients from the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin, which stimulate algae growth. When these algae die and decompose, they reduce the oxygen levels in the water, resulting in hypoxia. This condition leads fish and shrimp to migrate, affecting their growth, reproduction, and habitat utilization.

To address this concern, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the Gulf Hypoxia Program in June 2022 to speed nutrient reduction efforts. The EPA is investing $60 million in the project as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The Hypoxia Task Force states are stepping up their nutrient reduction measures while strengthening climate resilience and ensuring benefits reach disadvantaged communities.

According to Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Naig, the Mississippi River’s importance to our economy and communities cannot be overstated. He further added that the focused conservation efforts have been making a positive impact on water quality, and they are dedicated to expanding these efforts across varied landscapes.

NOAA continues to improve understanding and prediction of dead zones through various efforts, including the Coastal Hypoxia Research, Ocean Technology Transition, Uncrewed Systems, and Hypoxia Watch programs.

The agency is also exploring at using autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs) to map hypoxia, with several ASVs deployed this year along with the measuring survey to compare to ship-based data.

Reference: NOAA

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