Gulf Of Mexico Dead Zones Hit All-Time Record Size - 9,650 Square Miles - Reuters

Also, please note it's dead "zones" - emphasis on plural.

HOUSTON - Researchers have found 9,650 square miles (24,990 sq km) of "dead zones," or oxygen-depleted water, in the Gulf of Mexico this summer, the biggest area since tracking of the annual phenomenon began. They say humans are mostly to blame for the dead waters, and that increased planting of corn to make ethanol is adding to the problem.

The dead zones, which have been appearing each summer since at least 1970, threaten marine life and over time have altered the gulf's ecology, scientists say.

Usually researchers, who began measuring the dead zones in 1985, find only one large zone each year, just off the Louisiana coast where the Mississippi River empties into the gulf. But this summer, for the first time, a separate zone has developed off Texas, Texas A&M University oceanographer Steve DiMarco said this week.

Recent measurements taken in separate studies show the Louisiana dead zone covered about 7,900 square miles (20,461 sq km), while the Texas zone was 1,750 square miles (4,532 sq km), for a total of 9,650 (24,990 sq km). The previous largest amount was 8,495 square miles (22,002 sq km) found in 2002, Nancy Rabalais, chief scientist for the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, said on Friday.

EDIT

http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/43450/story.htm

and storm runoff and inadequately treated sewage..........humans are 100% to blame for the "dead zones".

Support your local wetlands restoration efforts - it helps mitigate the runoff pollution problem AND improve wildlife habitat.
http://www.audubon.org/
http://www.nature.org/
http://www.epa.gov/OWOW/wetlands/vital/toc.html

DEMAND that state and federal and local governments make watershed protection a MAJOR PRIORITY. The Louisiana wetlands and Mississippi delta region are especially important.

EXCERPTS from the EPA website:
"........As people understand ecological processes better, attitudes towards wetlands change. We now know that wetlands are, in fact, valuable natural resources. Whether drier or wetter, bigger or smaller, wetlands provide important benefits to people and the environment. Wetlands help regulate water levels within watersheds; improve water quality; reduce flood and storm damages; provide important fish and wildlife habitat; and support hunting, fishing, and other recreational activities. Wetlands are natural wonderlands of great value......."

"....Water Quality and Hydrology
Wetlands have important filtering capabilities for intercepting surface- water runoff from higher dry land before the runoff reaches open water. As the runoff water passes through, the wetlands retain excess nutrients and some pollutants, and reduce sediment that would clog waterways and affect fish and amphibian egg development. In performing this filtering function, wetlands save us a great deal of money. For example, a 1990 study showed that, without the Congaree Bottomland Hardwood Swamp in South Carolina, the area would need a $5 million waste water treatment plant.
In addition to improving water quality through filtering, some wetlands maintain stream flow during dry periods, and many replenish groundwater. Many Americans depend on groundwater for drinking......"

"......How Can I Make a Difference?

Get involved find out where wetlands exist near your home, try to learn more about them, and support educational efforts.
Support wetlands and watershed protection initiatives by public agencies and private organizations.
Purchase federal duck stamps from your local post office to support wetland acquisition.
Participate in the Clean Water Act Section 404 program and state regulatory programs by reviewing public notices and, in appropriate cases, commenting on permit applications.
Encourage neighbors, developers, and state and local governments to protect the function and value of wetlands in your watershed.
Rather than draining or filling wetlands, seek compatible uses involving minimal wetland alteration, such as waterfowl production, fur harvest, hay and forage, wild rice production, hunting and trapping leases, and selective timber harvest.
Select upland rather than wetlands sites for development projects and avoid wetland alteration or degradation during project construction.
Maintain wetlands and adjacent buffer strips as open space.
Learn more about wetland restoration activities in your area; seek and support opportunities to restore degraded wetlands.
In New England, participate in EPA's "Adopt-a-Wetland" program...."


Umpteenth edit:

Fifteen Things You Can Do to Make a Difference in Your Watershed:
http://www.epa.gov/owow/adopt/earthday/index.html

"They say humans are mostly to blame for the dead waters, and that increased planting of corn to make ethanol is adding to the problem."

Gee, who didn't see this coming?

plus fish kills in rivers and lakes in Florida, and elsewhere from similar causes.
Suwannee River was latest publicized.