Dead Zones expanding

[Chuck]

As water warms, it holds less oxygen. Also, there will be more fresh water and it won't mix with seawater very well, cutting off oxygen to deep sea life.

Carl Zimmer - YALE - Aug 5, 2010

Maybe there was not that much sea life to kill off by the Deepwater Horizon --Ed.

...Unlike the Deepwater Horizon disaster, this summer’s dead zone is not a new phenomenon in the Gulf. It first appeared in the 1970s, and each summer it has returned, growing bigger as the years have passed. Its expansion reflects the rising level of fertilizers that farmers in the U.S. Midwest have spread across their fields. Rain carries much of that fertilizer into the Mississippi River, which then delivers it to the sea. Once the fertilizer reaches the Gulf, it spurs algae to grow, providing a feast for bacteria, which grow so fast they use up all the oxygen in their neighborhood. The same phenomenon is repeating itself along many coastlines around the world. This summer, a 377,000-square-kilometer (145,000-square-mile) dead zone appeared in the Baltic Sea. In 2008, scientists reported that new dead zones have been popping up at an alarming rate for the past 50 years. There are now more than 400 coastal dead zones around the world. ... [Read More]

[GreenBlues]

The upper Midwest has had an abnormally wet growing season thus far. I would expect that the added rain has washed more fertilizers into the Mississippi this year helping to create a larger dead zone. Just remember: Global warming/climate change is just a hoax.

[ILAveo]

Originally Posted by GreenBlues

The upper Midwest has had an abnormally wet growing season thus far. I would expect that the added rain has washed more fertilizers into the Mississippi this year helping to create a larger dead zone. .....

On the plus side, the extra flow is likely to help keep the oil spill out of the delta marshes.

[booferama]

Originally Posted by GreenBlues

Just remember: Global warming/climate change is just a hoax.

Al Gore gonna control you!

[MT bucket]

Unfortunatly, all the fertilizers, plus destruction of wild habitat to grow more corn for ethanol is doing even more damage to the environment than any oil spills!

[ILAveo]

Originally Posted by MT bucket

Unfortunatly, all the fertilizers, plus destruction of wild habitat to grow more corn for ethanol is doing even more damage to the environment than any oil spills!

I know that a lot of people think as you do, but I haven't seen convincing data supporting your conclusions about increased farm acreage and fertilizer usage. I know anecdotally that doesn't seem to be the case in my area of the corn belt. The data I've seen indicates that US fertilizer usage fluctuates a bit with prices but pretty much lost its upward trend back in the late 70's.

My suspicion is that one of the key factors in the dead zone is the large scale destruction of (and diversion away from) the delta marshlands that used to filter the discharge of the Mississippi .

[MT bucket]

Hmm, could be, I am going by what I have heard others say. I hope you are right on this ILAveo. Ethanol is a big deal here in Minnesocold
Nice mileage on your ranger BTW

[xcel]

Hi All:

Dead zones being caused by fertilizers or other such contrivances… The Millions of gallons of oil spilled into the GOM bathtub are not helping matters… Who cares though, Louisiana’s Lake Pontchartrain was a chemical laydened sewage dump for 30 + years and nobody seemed to give a damn. It was cleaned up, Katrina caused some problems and it’s being cleaned up again.

Regarding fertilizers, I suspect that the problem with leaching or washing down the Mississippi can be traced to farms no more than 10-miles away from the River(s) unless a massive flood ensues. I am guessing here but we probably have 95 + % more acreage under plow 10 + miles away from the major rivers than the few tens of thousands of acres of Riverfront farms and farming communities that may be contributing to the dead zones due to fertilizers alone. I am really out on a limb with this guesstimate however???

We’ll destroy whatever is in our path and only those that have to smell, see or taste it are really affected. The rest of the world will continue to go on with life as if nothing happened or there are no consequences to their actions.

Wayne

[PaleMelanesian]

small rivers lead to big rivers...