Scientists Map Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone on 116-Foot R.V. Pelican
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 22
Scientists Map Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone on 116-Foot R.V. Pelican
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 22
Summary
A 12-member science team left Houma, Louisiana, for a weeklong Gulf expedition to measure oxygen levels in the nation’s largest marine dead zone.
The survey tracks hypoxia caused by excess nutrients—mostly farm fertilizer runoff—washing through the Mississippi River into the Gulf, where oxygen-starved waters expand or shrink with currents and storms.
Researchers from Louisiana State University and the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium have run nearly annual mapping cruises since 1985, sampling dozens of fixed sites to build a long-term record.
That consistent route lets scientists compare year-to-year changes in biodiversity and nutrient flow, helping show how policy and industry shifts have altered Gulf waters over decades.