Dead zones are areas in the world’s oceans and Great Lakes that are hypoxic. This means that these areas lack a sufficient amount of oxygen. This is caused by the excessive nutrient pollution from human activities such as chemical discharge and ocean runoff (such as fertilizer). Another cause of this issue is global warming. This is a serious threat to marine life because this lack of oxygen is not enough to support life at the bottom and near-bottom of the ocean and Great Lakes.
The University of California study published in the Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences where they collected and studied fossils of over 5,400 marine animals. They discovered that within only 130 years the oceans underwent devastating changes that led to complete collapse of invertebrates on the sea’s floor. At this rate of the growth of ocean dead zones, we could see drastic changes to the marine life biodiversity.
How can we help prevent these ocean dead zones? We need to be aware of how other environmental aspects are connected. The best way to physically stop these dead zones is to develop a better way to discharge chemicals. Currently, our chemical discharge system involves factories stationed along rivers discharging chemicals into the river which flows into the ocean. Another way to avoid these dead zones is by using less fertilizer. This will reduce the amount of runoff that goes into the ocean which will decrease the amount of nitrogen and phosphorous in the oceans.
You can learn more about what ocean dead zones are and how to prevent them by visiting:
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/04/how-can-we-stop-the-spread-of-ocean-dead-zones/
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Global Issues, Written by Carson Land 