Map Shows Massive Fish-Killing 'Dead Zone' Missing Oxygen Near Gulf Coast
A vast low-oxygen "dead zone" roughly the size of Rhode Island has again formed in the Gulf of America along the U.S. Gulf Coast.
A new NOAA report revealed a significantly smaller dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico this year, measuring approximately 1,332 square miles—a size comparable to Rhode Island. This year's hypoxic zone, a region with low dissolved oxygen levels that often kills marine life, stretched across northern Gulf waters near Louisiana. The area is impacted by nutrient-rich waters from the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers, which create algal blooms that consume oxygen when they decay.
The findings come as Tropical Storm Bertha passed through the region, briefly mixing water and temporarily reducing the dead zone's size. Scientists have tracked the Gulf's dead zones for decades due to their ecological and economic impacts, including changes in migration, habitat availability, and commercial fisheries. The NOAA's annual survey aims to better understand these phenomena and inform management strategies to mitigate their effects.
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