The Dead Zone Off Of Louisiana

This isn't about the widespread devastation of the Gulf coast due to Hurricane Katrina or Rita. The Dead Zone is in the ocean, created by toxic runoff from the Mississippi River that creates algae blooms in the open water and then the decaying plants suck out all the oxygen in the water, essentially destroying the possibility of life in the area. According to scientists, it is now the 2nd largest dead zone in the world and growing larger year by year.

From The Sun Herald:

NEW ORLEANS -- Researchers predict the recurring "dead zone" off the Louisiana coast will grow this summer to its largest size in at least 22 years, 8,543 square miles.

The forecast, released today by the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, is based on a federal estimate of nitrogen from the Mississippi River watershed to the Gulf of Mexico. It discounts the effect large storms or hurricanes might have.

The "dead zone" in the northern Gulf, at the end of the Mississippi River system, is the second-largest area of oxygen-depleted coastal waters in the world. Low oxygen, or hypoxia, can be caused by pollution from sources including farm fertilizer, soil erosion and discharge from sewage treatment plants, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

If the economic situation wasn't bad enough already, this exacerbated problem will further hurt the economy of the Gulf coast. As the dead zone grows, the area where shrimpers and fisherman will shrink, resulting in a more crowded space and further depletion of the marine life that is still there.