JACKSONVILLE, Fla – There is an area in the Gulf of Mexico where oxygen is so low that most organisms will die if they don’t escape what's called the hypoxic zone.
NOAA scientists are forecasting this summer’s "dead zone" to reach a near-record size roughly as large as Massachusetts, or about 7,829 square miles.
The largest Gulf Dead Zone occurred in 2017, encompassing 8,776 square miles.
This annual problem has worsened over the years affecting commercial harvests and the health of impacted ecosystems. The Gulf Dead Zone is the second largest in the world after one in the Baltic Sea.
The excessive spring rainfall draining into the Mississippi River watershed, is sending large nutrient loads to the Gulf of Mexico.
Excess nutrient pollution from human activities, such as urbanization and agriculture, reach the Gulf stimulating an overgrowth of algae.
Decomposition when the microorganisms eventually die reduce oxygen near the seafloor to a level where most marine life perish.