Due to the potential dangers of dead zones to the environment and economy in the Gulf of Mexico, the American government needs to make dramatic and controversial efforts to stop the growth of this dead zone.
Hypoxic zones, more commonly known as ‘Dead Zones,’ can be found all over the world, with the second largest located in the Gulf of Mexico. They are lacking in life because of the absence of the atomic number 8, otherwise known as oxygen. According to the Environmental Encyclopedia, hypoxia occurs when the content of oxygen is below or between 2-3 milligrams per liter, while for healthy waters 8 milligrams need to be found (“Dead Zones”). Therefore, a dead zone is a section of water which is unable to sustain life due to an unsustainable amount of oxygen.
Curiously, the body of water which contains one of the largest dead zones is the Gulf of Mexico. The dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico is vast, so much so that an article in The Advocate compares it to two states. “…stretching 6,474 square miles… the size of Connecticut and Rhode Island combined…” ( Amy Wold "Dead zone larger than last summer *** Triple the size of the task force-set target”)
Dead zone’s formation can originate in numerous ways which can either be a product of nature or humans. Captain Ralph Allen of The Charlotte Sun describes three different ways hypoxic zones can be cultivated by nature: warm waters, biological decomposition and deep chasms (Allen). It is important to realize that they each cause dead zones because of their ability to deplete, or prevent, oxygen in waters.
The Gulf of Mexico is no stranger to heat, so it is not a surprise that its warm climates are a contributor to the construction of dead zones. Consequently, The Cha...
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...these defects cause procreative issues (Blomberg). The hypoxic zones were shown to decrees the egg hatching parentage to 10% from the previous average of 50% (Blomberg). Thus, dead zones bring lasting negative results in larger fish, and present dangers to bottom-dwelling shellfish.
The decline in aquatic life is harmful to American fisheries. For instance about 40% of the fishing industry in the United States is based in the Gulf of Mexico, and the majority is in shrimping (“Dead Zones”). However, the hypoxic zones “...reduced economic productivity in both commercial and recreational fisheries, and both direct and indirect impact on fisheries such as direct mortality and altered migration patterns that may lead to declines in populations.” (“Dead Zones”) Therefore, the American economy will be taking a decreasing hit along with the fish populations in the Gulf.
...ler C. W. "Lineations and fauts in the Texas Coastal Zone." Report of Investgations. 1976. 85, 32 pp.
In this entertaining, search into global fish hatcheries, New York Times writer Paul Greenberg investigates our historical connection with the ever changing ocean and the wild fish within it. In the beginning of the book Paul is telling his childhood fishing stories to his friends, that night Paul discovers that that four fish dominate the world’s seafood markets in which are salmon, tuna, cod, and bass. He tries to figure out why this is and the only logical answer he could come up with is that four epochal shifts caused theses wild fish population to diminish. History shows that four epochal shifts happen within fifteen years causing certain fish species populations to diminish. He discovers for each of the four fish why this happened to
First the causes of the dead zone will be introduced. Large contributors of excessive nutrients will be discussed. There is not one source to blame the Chesapeake Bay dead zone is a large problem with many variables that effect each other. Next the pressure that is put on the bay and its organisms will be discussed. A picture of what you might find out in the dead zone will be painted. The reality of the rapidly declining organism populations will be understood. Third, the possible solutions will be explained. Since this is a multiple variable problem there are many potential solutions that may or may not work. Last the lack of action will be observed. There are many solutions that could bring the bay back to life but the cost and lack of effort fr...
Myers, V. (1994, December). The Everglades: Researchers take a new approach to an old problem. Sea Frontiers, 40, 15-16.
As swans drift with the current on a secluded lake in upper Canada they think not of the water they are in but of dreams of the past and wants for the future. On the other hand, seals off the coast of Northern California fear for their lives every day of humans exploiting their natural habitat. Many things can endanger water born animals, and most all of these come directly from humans. The pollutants of water come from many sources both close and far away from the water body itself. Wastes of humans are the major cause of pollution in the water, such materials include sewage, chemicals among other notable items. First, the composition water: water is odorless, tasteless and a transparent liquid. Though in large quantities water appears to have a bluish tint, it maintains the transparent tendency when observed in smaller quantities. Water covers approximately seventy percent of the Earth's surface in the solid and liquid form. Pollutants can be carried over a great distance by combining with evaporating moisture, forming clouds and then the wind taking the clouds to the larger body of water. This process is called acid rain and it is a major source of water pollution. Acid rain has been a problem since the Industrial Revolution, and has kept growing ever since. With acid rain moving over to a fresh water body, the plants and animals could experience pollution that they never had to deal with before and they could possibly die for the sudden change without them having time to adapt, if this is possible.
The LISS is undergoing studies that in hopes will reduce the extent of hypoxia. In order to restore the health of Long Island Sound additional nitrogen reduction is needed. Two major research efforts have provided much of the information on how low oxygen conditions affect living resources in the Sound. The EPA’s (Environmental Protections Agencies) Office of Research and Development conducted a study which was the first major research effort.
Not mentioned in the report is a technique called bioremediation, which uses microbes to clean up the hazardous waste. Some small natural organisms, such as bacteria, can eat, digest and gain energy from contaminants, converting them into small amounts of water or innocuous gases. Specific conditions must be present for bioremediation to be successful. Natural amendments can be added if ideal conditions are not present, or contaminated soil can be treated ex situ. Traditionally, it takes anywhere between a few months and several years for bioremediation to fully clean a Superfund site, depending on the size of the site and extent of contamination. Bioremediation is currently being used to clean up contaminated groundwater at the Iceland Coin Laundry Superfund Site in New Jersey (EPA, n.d.). Additionally, experiments are currently underway to determine if fungi can help remediate some of the contamination at the Newtown Creek Superfund Site in New York City (Parry, 2012). As an all-natural alternative, bioremediation is a particularly appealing clean up method. If ideal conditions for microbial growth are not present at the Portland Harbor Superfund site, bioremediation could be a good ex situ treatment
Dissolved oxygen is one of the best indicators of the health of a water ecosystem. Dissolved oxygen can range from 0-18 parts per million (ppm), but most natural water systems require 5-6 parts per million to support a diverse population (Phosphates).
The bathypelagic zone is an area that comprises depths between 1,000 and 4,000 meters deep in the Atlantic Ocean. If the mesopelagic zone had almost no sunlight this zone is completely dark, that is, it is part of the aphotic zone since not receive any light incidence. The temperatures in the mesopelagic zone revolves around 4 degrees Celsius in the surface parte until 2 degrees Celsius in the
The dead zones in turn affect the life of aquatic organisms. They cannot survive in the dead zones and hence they have to migrate to areas where they can get better oxygen and better food and other materials necessary for survival. The migration of aquatic organisms results into scrambling of resources, which in turn end up in shortages. The HABs also make the aquatic environment to be uncomfortable for the aquatic organisms to survive and undergo their normal life cycle (Kinkaid, 2014).
Since the 1960s dead zones have doubled every 10 years (McDermott). In 2008 the number of dead zones were 400 (McDermott). They have been found near the coast of Asia, New Zealand, the Black Sea, and Australia, just to name a few (Yarbrough). They have also been found in Lake Eerie (“The Gulf of”). One of the largest ocean dead zones can be found in the Gulf of...
The influence of human activity concerning marine chemistry has numerous negative effects on the marine environment.
of the Gulf of Mexico and The Panamic Biota: Some Observations Prior to a Sea-Level Canal,
And a build-up of nitrogen from fertilizers washed off farmland into seas could spur abrupt blooms of algae that choke fish or create oxygen-depleted "dead zones" along coasts.
Vannela, Raveender. "Are We “Digging Our Own Grave” Under the Oceans?" Environmental Science & Technology 46.15 (2012): 7932-933. Print.