Gulf “Dead Zone” smaller, but not because of a reduction of nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients from Midwest farms

The dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico is smaller than last year, 3,275 square miles. That’s less than half the size of last year. But it’s still five times the size of Lake Pontchartrain.

The dead zone is an area of low oxygen, preventing marine life from living in the area.

LSU marine ecologist Nancy Rabalais says a combination of weather events led to the smaller size this year. She says drought conditions in the Midwest reduced the water flow from the Mississippi River into the Gulf of Mexico during June and July.

“And that meant less fresh water, nutrients to effect the biology and physics of the continental shelf,” said Rabalais.

Rabalais says the goal is to get the dead zone to less than 19-hundred square miles by 2035.

“Agricultural interests are trying to reduce their nutrient flux, but it’s going to take a bigger effort than what’s being done right now,” said Rabalais.