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NOAA predicts larger-than-average “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico without oxygen

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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts an above-average Gulf of Mexico "Death zone" 5,847 square miles this year. That's about the size of Connecticut. It's a hypoxic area with low oxygen levels that can kill marine life. USCG "Hypoxia Bandit" helps scientists track the size of this water area to observe it over time. Photo: USGS Lower Mississippi Gulf Water Science Center
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting a larger-than-average “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico this year, covering 5,847 square miles. That’s about the size of Connecticut. It’s a hypoxic area with low oxygen levels that can kill marine life. The USCG’s Hypoxia Bandit is helping scientists track the size of this area of ​​water so they can observe it over time. Photo: USGS Lower Mississippi Gulf Water Science Center

June 14 (UPI) – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting an above-average “dead zone” of 5,847 square miles in the Gulf of Mexico this year, roughly the size of Connecticut.

It’s a hypoxic area with low oxygen levels that can kill fish and other marine life. It occurs every summer, but according to NOAA, the average size over 37 years is 5,205 square miles.

“Reducing the impacts of hypoxic events and reducing the occurrence and intensity of future dead zones continues to be a priority for NOAA,” Nicole LeBoeuf, deputy director of the National Ocean Service, said in a statement. “These forecasts are intended to provide important data to scientists, coastal managers and communities and serve as guidance in developing planning actions.”

These zones are caused by excess nitrate and phosphorus being carried out from the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River basin. These discharges promote the excessive growth of algae.

As the algae die, decompose and sink to the bottom of the Gulf, the oxygen in the water is depleted and the “dead zones” cause fish and shrimp to leave the area.

The long-term goal of the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force is to reduce the dead zone to 1,900 square miles by 2025.

NOAA forecasts help predict how the hypoxia zone relates to fertilizers in the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River basin.

In 2023, the “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico was smaller than expected.

According to a NOAA-supported study conducted by scientists at Louisiana State University and the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, the dead zone this year was 3,058 square miles, the seventh smallest since records began in 1985.

NOAA said in 2019 that the zone is expected to grow larger in the coming years due to changing global weather patterns, heavier rainfall and worse flooding.

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