The Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone is one of the largest dead zones in the world.
"Hypoxic conditions arise when dissolved oxygen levels in the water fall below two milligrams per liter of water, too low to sustain animal life in the bottom strata of the ocean."
This problem has risen because of the rise of nutrient pollution by indistries and agricultural plants. If this type of pollution continues, our sea life may be replaced permanently by bacteria.
"Incoming nutrients stimulate growth of phytoplankton at the surface, providing food for unicellular animals. Planktonic remains and fecal matter from these organisms fall to the ocean floor, where they are eaten by bacteria, which consume excessive amounts of oxygen, creating eutrophic conditions. Hypoxic waters appear normal on the surface, but on the bottom, they are covered with dead and distressed animal, and in extreme cases, layers of stinking, sulfur-oxidizing bacteria, which cause the sediment in these areas to turn black. These hypoxic conditions cause food chain alterations, loss of biodiversity, and high aquatic species mortality." " (http://www.tulane.edu/~bfleury/envirobio/enviroweb/DeadZone.htm)
The picture above shows the areas of the low oxygen levels on the gulf. As you can see, they are pretty bad.
So in conclusion, pollution is bad and makes all the little fishies go away :-(
And therefore, we don't like it.
The end.
