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New research from Prof. Scavia: "Very Large" Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone Forecasted
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June 1, 2019
The most recent forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts a hypoxic zone the size of Massachusetts in the Gulf of Mexico this year.
“While this year’s zone will be larger than usual because of the flooding, the long-term trend is still not changing. The bottom line is that we will never reach the dead zone reduction target of 1,900 square miles until more serious actions are taken to reduce the loss of Midwest fertilizers into the Mississippi River system,” said U-M aquatic ecologist Don Scavia, professor emeritus at SEAS.
Scavia is a member of NOAA-funded teams that produce annual forecasts for the Gulf of Mexico, Chesapeake Bay, and Lake Erie.