Gulf of Mexico to Possibly Experience<br />Largest Dead Zone in History A dead zone is a scientific term used to describe an area<br />of water with low oxygen that is unable to support life. According to scientists at Louisiana State University,<br />a dead zone the size of New Jersey could appear in<br />the Gulf of Mexico this coming July. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric<br />Administration also released a prediction report,<br />anticipating a zone of 7,829 square miles. The predicted zone would be over 2,000 square<br />miles larger than the five-year average of the area. Dead zones were first noticed in the Gulf of Mexico<br />in the 1970s and have been increasing in size since. Scientists believe the dead zone is caused by<br />runoff from the Mississippi River, as pollutants from<br />thousands of acres of farmland empty into the river. The runoff contains dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus<br />which overstimulate the growth of phytoplankton<br />and cause all the oxygen in the water to be used. Although preventative measure can be taken by<br />farmers to ease the contamination, marine ecologist<br />Nancy Rabalais doesn’t believe there is an easy fix. Nancy Rabalais, via CNN
