Gulf of Mexico ‘dead zone’ forecasted to be as big as Connecticut, study shows - TomoNews

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• published: 13 Jun 2016
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ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN — U.S. researchers forecast the annual summer hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico to be roughly the same size as Connecticut. The hypoxic region, or known as “dead zone”, forms after the Mississippi River flows downstream from farmland across the central U.S. into the Gulf of Mexico during the spring and early summer. The water contains high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus which trigger the algae growth. Algae sink to the bottom when they die, where they decompose and consume the oxygen in the water. The nutrient-rich water stays on top of the Gulf water, blocking oxygen from getting into the bottom of the water unless stirred by a tropical storm or hurricane. The Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force tried to reduce the extent of Gulf hypoxic zone to 1,950 square miles by 2015, but has made little progress so far. “And while the latest forecast calls for an average-size dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico, it is important to recognize that these averages are unacceptable. The bottom line is that we will never reach the action plan's goal of 1,950 square miles until more serious actions are taken to reduce the loss of Midwest fertilizers into the Mississippi River system,” Don Scavia, aquatic ecologist and director of the Graham Sustainability Institute at the University of Michigan said a statement. ----------------------------------------­--------------------- Welcome to TomoNews, where we animate the most entertaining news on the internets. Come here for an animated look at viral headlines, US news, celebrity gossip, salacious scandals, dumb criminals and much more! Subscribe now for daily news animations that will knock your socks off. Visit our official website for all the latest, uncensored videos: http://us.tomonews.com Check out our Android app:http://bit.ly/1sYjIzc Check out our iOS app: http://bit.ly/1gO3z1f Get top stories delivered to your inbox everyday: http://bit.ly/tomo-newsletter Stay connected with us here: Facebook http://www.facebook.com/TomoNewsUS Twitter @tomonewsus http://www.twitter.com/TomoNewsUS Google+ http://plus.google.com/+TomoNewsUS/ Instagram @tomonewsus http://instagram.com/tomonewsus