Low-oxygen area now deeper into Texas waters

[sonias]

Houston Chronicle 8/3/10
Low-oxygen area now deeper into Texas waters
Largest-ever Gulf dead zone spans from Galveston to Mississippi

The dead zone off the Texas coast is larger this year than scientists have ever measured, stretching offshore from the Mississippi River to Galveston Island.

An area of low-oxygen water that threatens marine life, the dead zone is at its largest during the summer months.

Scientists have surveyed the Gulf dead zone for a quarter-century, and this year's 7,722-square-mile area of hypoxic water is among the five largest.

"It's been getting larger and larger over the last five to seven years," said Nancy Rabelais, a Louisiana scientist who leads efforts to annually map the dead zone. "As it's been getting larger, it's expanded farther into Texas waters.

"This is the largest such area off the upper Texas coast that we have found since we began this work in 1985."

More trouble in the Gulf Coast and this may be unrelated to the BP spill, although I'm sure the spill is not making it better. :(

[sonias]

1. Low-oxygen area now deeper into Texas waters Largest-ever Gulf dead zone spans from Galveston to Mis

NYTimes 8/63/10
This Year's Gulf 'Dead Zone' Among Largest Ever

(snip)
The sprawling area with levels of dissolved oxygen low enough to smother marine life is 7,722 square miles, the researchers said, slightly smaller than New Jersey.

The dead zone overlaps some waters exposed to crude from the damaged BP PLC oil well, but researchers said it is not clear if there is a connection between the spill and the size of the low-oxygen area.

"It would be difficult to link conditions seen this summer with oil from the BP spill, in either a positive or a negative way," said Nancy Rabalais, executive director of the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium and the leader of the annual dead-zone survey, which is now in its 25th year.

The dead zone does threaten Gulf fisheries that have already been squeezed by oil-spill closures.

:kick:

[onestepforward]

2. Very troubling news.

I know that fertilizer run-off play a big role and I'm sure the oil spill plays some role too. We are killing our beautiful oceans. :(