Ocean Analysis : Ocean Dead Zones

In a celebrity driven culture, it has become the norm to idolize people as perfect angels who seem to do no wrong. In Robin Givhan’s Glamour, That Certain Something, the idea and definition is explored by this fashion elite. It describes why glamour can actually be detrimental to the society as a whole. However, glamour is subjective and arbitrary trait that is being slightly misconstrued as perfection.

In Colin Woodard’s “Ocean’s End: Travels Through Endangered Seas”, major environmental problems facing our planet are exposed. Woodard exposes the creation of dead zones from pollution, the killing of our coral reefs and the negative effects of the rise of sea-levels. The common theme throughout this book is the dark fate of Oceans and marine life as we know it. Although it may seem like our bodies of water are limitless, vast, and indestructible, they are not. In fact they are vulnerable, and we as humans are destroying them daily through our reckless actions. Major sources of the depletion of our oceans is constant pollution, global warming, and harmful fishing practices.

Gulf “dead zone”= a region of water so depleted of oxygen that kills or drives away marine organisms

The world is home to many living things, the majority of life on earth though is living in the ocean with a percent of 94%. Since the beginning of the 1800s, man has been mapping the great oceans and what’s in them, but no more than 90 years ago have we started to look deeper. The ocean hasn't been completely explored, but with the advances in ocean exploration technology, scuba diving’s, and with those finds of strange creatures and treasures along the way.

The dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico is a human problem, like most other disasters. What this means is that once the place thrived and was ecologically balanced, but we tipped the balance slightly and wrecked havoc upon the environment. It has been noted to occur since the 1950’s and is ongoing. The reason that this dead zone occurs is because of a phenomenon known as eutrophication. Eutrophication is when there is an excessive amount of nutrients in a body of water and it causes an abundance of plants to grow. In this case the nearby farms had been using nitrogen in their fertilizers. The nitrogen got carried into the ocean through rain and other forms of

The article I chose relates to the dead zone found in the Gulf of Mexico every year. There is a location in the Gulf of Mexico known as a hypoxic zone, which is an area with depleted oxygen levels. This is a result of nutrient run-off from the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin. The rivers receive a large amount of nutrients from many sources, including but not limited to, fertilizers from farmlands and golf courses, to urban runoff, sewer treatment plant discharge, and atmospheric nitrogen deposits.

Lastly, I will explain the dead zone of the chesapeake Bay. Excessive Nitrogen and Phosphrous pollution from human activities cause “Dead Zones” , which are areas with low amounts of oxygen. With little or no oxygen, fish, crabs, oysters, and other aquatic animals literally suffocate. Further excess in nutrients also fuels the growth of dense algae blooms that block sunlight that underwater grasses need to grow in order to continue providing food for waterfowl and shelter for blue crabs and juvenile fish. (Chesapeake Bay Foundation) (Dead Zones)

The dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico is one of many throughout the world. There are many factors that cause the dead zone and not all dead zones are caused from the same things. In the Gulf of Mexico the dead zone is cause by nitrogen and phosphorus (fertilizer) go into the gulf and trigger phytoplankton blooms or algae blooms. First the oxygen rich water comes into the gulf and stratifies going to the bottom. Then the majority of the the nitrogen and phosphorus from agriculture and urban run offs from the Mississippi River watershed flow in the spring and early summer. For example 70% come from where the Ohio and Mississippi rivers meet, 39% come from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, 22% come from Ohio river basin, and 11% from the Missouri river basin, and the rest come from Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee. Next the phytoplankton use all that fertilizer and die. Then the phytoplankton falls to the bottom of the sea and decomposes using all the oxygen. Then because of water stratification the oxygen levels on the bottom do not get

Dead zones don’t only affect animals in the ocean. They may also affect the fertility of marine ecosystems as well. “Organisms such as phytoplankton, algae, and seaweeds will grow quickly and excessively on the water’s surface.” (Society). “Coral reefs are home to many fish and other animals and if they are being damaged, so are the species in them” (Society). These are just

First, a “National Geographic Society”, (2011) article had detailed about a problem called a “ Dead Zone”. Dead zones are caused by the eutrophication of rivers, lakes, and oceans. When there are too many nutrients or too much fertilizer run off in an aquatic area causes something called an “Algae Bloom”. When the algae grows it covers the water's surface preventing sunlight from penetrating the water, which in time prevents aquatic plants from making oxygen and leaves the fish with little air to breathe thus causing a dead zone. Today in the Gulf of Mexico the is a dead zone the size of Connecticut, Connecticut is 5,543 square miles!

Sediment collected from the riverbank as the river flows downstream is also a problem; it increases the turbidity of the river, and this makes it difficult for plants to receive the necessary sunlight needed for survival. When these plants die, there is less food for fish and other river animals. Bacteria levels also rise in the water, because it can cling to sediment very easily. When there is more sediment, there are more places for the bacteria to collect. (Helsel & Mueller, 2009). All of these problems are occurring as the water is flowing along the river banks, collecting even more sediment, and pollutants as it travels downstream and deposits into the Gulf of Mexico. When all of this sediment, nitrogen and bacteria flow into the Gulf of Mexico, it causes changes in the water there. The increase in the level of nitrogen causes plankton to grow faster. When the plankton decomposes it takes a large amount of oxygen out of the water. The bacteria break down the decomposed plankton, which releases carbon dioxide, taking increasing levels of oxygen out of the water in the Gulf. Eventually the level of oxygen decreases to a point where most living organisms cannot survive. Some animals flee while other plants and animals that cannot leave usually die. This is referred to as the Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico. (Gulf of Mexico; NOAA, 2009). With an expected increase in the size

Except for those who take a look and take the time to discover the causes. One of the many causes of the oceanic dead zones is synthetic fertilizers.

Oceans cover approximately 75% of Earth 's surface and are vital to this planet and the people who inhabit it. Oceans provide food, natural resources, and recreation for nearly everyone in this world. Unfortunately Oceans have been receiving mass amount of pollutants including oil spills, toxic waste dumping, and industrial dumping. These pollutants will have negative impacts on the wildlife in the ocean, as we are seeing already with the Coral Reefs, and soon enough it will begin to affect our lives as well.

Dead zones in the ocean are so called because of the lack of oxygen in the seawater according to Karstensen. Oxygen is obviously needed to support all marine life in these areas. The article also mentions dissolved oxygen is

Ocean pollution is one of the most urgent issues in our world today. The ocean is crucial to our ecosystem and it is being severely damaged at an alarmingly increasing rate. In this paper I will educate about the role the ocean plays in our beautiful Earth, why it is being so widely ignored and dismissed, the causes of pollution, and its effects on animals and humans alike.