Gulf Of Mexico's 'Dead Zone' Reaching Size Of Connecticut
Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have released a shocking prediction for the size of a toxic algal bloom in the Gulf of Mexico this summer, typically a peak season for the growth of this source water scourge.
“A so-called dead zone for marine life in the Gulf of Mexico caused in part by fertilizer runoff will be about the size of Connecticut this summer,” according to Bloomberg. “In the dead zone, excess nutrients from fertilizer wash out of farm fields and flow down the Mississippi River into the Gulf, promoting blooms of algae that can kill fish and marine life unable to swim out of the area.”
Toxic algae does not just pose a threat to marine life, but can have a major impact on drinking water quality as well. It forced the shutdown of a drinking water treatment plant in Toledo, Ohio in 2013, for instance.
And because it is caused by excess nutrients in source water, the growth of this problem can lead to revised wastewater treatment and agricultural regulations. The growth of this dead zone in particular may very well prompt such changes.
“The issue of pollution from farm chemicals is gaining scrutiny this year as American farmers boost plantings of grain and oilseed crops among surging prices,” per Bloomberg.
However, this dead zone is actually expected to be smaller than its five-year average, according to a Houma Today report that noted that, at 4,880 square miles, it will be “about twice the size of Delaware.”
Despite the relative shrinking, the nutrient contamination causing this problem has been and will continue to be a major expense.
“The pollution has caused an estimated $2.4 billion in damages to fisheries and marine habitat every year since 1980,” Houma Today reported. “And it threatens Gulf commercial and recreational fishing industries that generated a combined $57 billion in economic impact and 200,000 jobs for the region in 2016… The threat is especially acute for the Gulf shrimp industry, which landed $412 million at the dock the same year.”
For researchers with an environmental advocacy group called the Union of Concerned Scientists, this economic calculus is key. While the agricultural industry has historically been hesitant to apply costly nutrient reduction measures, the money recouped by fisheries if toxic algae is eliminated could justify those costs.
“Studies have found that shifting agricultural practices at the needed scales will be costly — up to $3.1 billion,” said Rebecca Boehm, an economist with the union, according to Houma Today. “However, our new analysis makes the case that shrinking the dead zone could generate a major return on this investment in the Gulf.”
To read more about how wastewater treatment operations can hinder toxic algae, visit Water Online’s Nutrient Removal Solutions Center.