The Oxygen in the Ocean

"Dead zones are areas in the oceans that can no longer support life. These “hypoxic” waters have been polluted by chemical fertilizer runoff from crops and lawns. These chemical pollutants cause harmful algae blooms which deprive the oceans of the oxygen and suffocating the species below. There are more than 30 human-caused dead zones around the world in enclosed waters. In the Gulf of Mexico off the Mississippi River delta a huge dead zone appeared in the mid-1970s which at  its largest reached 21,000 square kilometers. In the past two decades, additional reports of dying or depleted areas in coastal seas and estuaries across the globe have emerged."

- MSNBC & Scientific American

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

• Use organic, sustainable, and native landscaping to reduce fertilizer runoff entering rivers and oceans.

• Support organic, regenerative, and pasture-based farming to cut the massive nutrient runoff from industrial livestock operations.

• Eat less meat to reduce demand for feedlots and factory farms that pollute waterways.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

• Gulf Restoration Network / Healthy Gulf

• Waterkeeper Alliance

• Chesapeake Bay Foundation

• Gulf Coast Preservation Society (GCPS)