Scientists from the Nationa Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or the NOAA revealed the 'hypoxic zone' in the Gulf of Mexico is expected to be larger than normal this year. 

The dead zone occurs every summer in an area of the northern Gulf of Mexico. The annual event occurs as nutrient-laden freshwater flows from various rivers flow into the gulf. The nutrients brought by the water are consumed by bacterias using oxygen. The process contributes to the formation of low-oxygen areas in parts of the gulf's seafloor.

The dead zone drastically affects marine life.  While fishes and marine mammals are able to swim away from the areas, non-swimming and weak-swimming animals may die when trapped in the area. For fishermen who depend on shrimp to survive financially, the dead zone and its impact on the shrimps could easily cause a financial strain. 

Size Forecast

According to the NOAA researchers, this year's low-oxygen area may cover up to 6,700 square miles, which is roughly the size of Eswatini, a nation in southern Africa. The average size of the dead zone is about 5,400 square miles. In 2017, the area topped a record when it covered nearly 8,800 square miles. 

However, the released forecast noted that a tropical storm within two weeks before the summer measurement cruise could help reduce the low-oxygen area by 30 percent.

In 2019, Hurricane Barry helped reduce the hypoxic zone, but it was still considered the eighth-largest.

The dead zone is not unique to the Gulf of Mexico. Many other places in the United States and around the world experience problems from nutrient runoffs. 

Solution

A hypoxia task force was created with the help of federal and state agencies as well as tribal governments near the Mississipi River and the Gulf of Mexico. The team is responsible for reducing farm runoff and promote water quality through nutrient management efforts. They also set a target of keeping the dead zone at a five-year average of 1,900 square miles. 

Don Scavia, a professor emeritus at the University of Michigan, claimed large reductions are called for in the action plan that has been in place for nearly two decades. He suggested a different course of action to reduce the nutrient run-offs and the size of the hypoxic zone. 

Many of the current strategies include managing the amount, timing, and method of the application of fertilizers to crops to help improve water quality. Planting of cover crops may also contribute to the recycling of excess nutrients and reduce soil erosion that will keep the nutrients out of the waterways. 

Trees, shrubs, and grass around the fields will also absorb and filter out nutrients before they reach the water. Farmers are also encouraged to keep their animals and their waste-which contains nitrogen and phosphorus-out of the bodies of water.

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