Dead zones are hypoxic areas in bodies of water with very low oxygen levels, making it impossible for marine life to survive. They are primarily caused by excess nitrogen and phosphorus pollution from agricultural fertilizers draining into waterways. This fuels algal blooms that die off and deplete oxygen levels as they decompose. The largest dead zone is in the Gulf of Mexico, costing the US seafood industry $82 million annually. Reducing fertilizer use in the Indus Basin could help minimize the growth of dead zones in the region and their harmful environmental and economic effects.
Dead zones are hypoxic areas in bodies of water with very low oxygen levels, making it impossible for marine life to survive. They are primarily caused by excess nitrogen and phosphorus pollution from agricultural fertilizers draining into waterways. This fuels algal blooms that die off and deplete oxygen levels as they decompose. The largest dead zone is in the Gulf of Mexico, costing the US seafood industry $82 million annually. Reducing fertilizer use in the Indus Basin could help minimize the growth of dead zones in the region and their harmful environmental and economic effects.
Dead zones are hypoxic areas in bodies of water with very low oxygen levels, making it impossible for marine life to survive. They are primarily caused by excess nitrogen and phosphorus pollution from agricultural fertilizers draining into waterways. This fuels algal blooms that die off and deplete oxygen levels as they decompose. The largest dead zone is in the Gulf of Mexico, costing the US seafood industry $82 million annually. Reducing fertilizer use in the Indus Basin could help minimize the growth of dead zones in the region and their harmful environmental and economic effects.
Dead zones are hypoxic areas in bodies of water with very low oxygen levels, making it impossible for marine life to survive. They are primarily caused by excess nitrogen and phosphorus pollution from agricultural fertilizers draining into waterways. This fuels algal blooms that die off and deplete oxygen levels as they decompose. The largest dead zone is in the Gulf of Mexico, costing the US seafood industry $82 million annually. Reducing fertilizer use in the Indus Basin could help minimize the growth of dead zones in the region and their harmful environmental and economic effects.
We need to minimize our use of fertilizers in Indus Basin to
minimize the growth of dead zone
Dead zone: Dead zone is a large area in water body with depleted oxygen, making itimpossible to live for plants, fishes etc. Examples: The largest dead zone in the world lies in the Arabian Sea, covering almost the entire 63,700-square mile Gulf of Oman. The second largest sits in the Gulf of Mexico in the United States, averaging almost 6,000 square miles insize.
Figure No 01. Gulf of Mexico
Causes of dead zone:
Dead zones are caused by excessive nitrogen and phosphorous pollution
from human activities, including: Agricultural runoff from farmland that carries nutrients from fertilizers and animal manure into rivers and streams, eventually flowing into the Chesapeake Bay. Dead zones are generally caused by significant nutrient pollution, and are primarily a problem for bays, lakes and coastal waters sincethey receive excess nutrients from upstream sources. Excess nitrogen and phosphorus cause an overgrowth of algae in a short period of time.
Effects of dead zone:
Dead zones are the most severe result of eutrophication. This dramaticincrease in previously limited nutrients causes massive algal blooms. These "red tides" or Harmful Algal Blooms can cause fish kills, human illness through shellfish poisoning, and death of marine mammals andshore birds.
Effect of dead zone on climate change: Warmer waters hold less oxygen than cooler water, thus making it easier for dead zones to form. Warmer waters will increase metabolism of marine creatures, thereby increasing their need for oxygen.
Figure No 02. Pacific Coast Dead Zone
Effect of dead zone on economy: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, or NOAA, estimates that the dead zone costs U.S. seafood and tourism industries $82 million a year. The impact could be devastatingto the Gulf's seafood industry, which accounts for more than 40 percent ofthe nation's seafood. Dead zone and fertilizers: 1. The fertilizer fuels the growth of algae which eventually dies or is eaten by zooplankton. Bacteria feed on the mass of dead algae andthe zooplankton's feces, exhausting the water's oxygen as they do. Among other negative effects, the dead zone threatens the Gulf's lucrative commercial and sports fisheries. 2. The growth of dead zones is associated largely with the production of fertilizers. When fertilizers used in farms and agricultural lands drain into water bodies, they catalyze the growth of algae. The algae deplete the water of oxygen before decomposing, suffocating species that live in the area.
Figure No 03 .US Geological survey
Reduction of dead zone:
An important strategy in reducing the size and duration of dead zones is
establishment of a total daily maximum load (TMDL) for the nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) that encourage dead-zone formation. Table No 01. Spreading Dead Zones and Consequences for Marine Ecosystem .
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