Not Quite the Size of New Jersey

In a follow up to our story last month about the size of the Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone, now there is new evidence to support that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration may have overestimated the size. Bloomberg.com has a story that NOAA is amending their original estimate and believes that the dead zone (the area of the Gulf where there is not enough oxygen in the water to sustain life) is more like 3000 square miles, instead of the 8000 they thought. The New Republic also reports on the smaller area, but also notes that freak weather patterns may have helped re-oxygenate the water and the toxic run-off from fertalizers has not declined.

If you'd like to see what a dead zone is and how it's created, check out these good graphics from The Times-Picayune.

Photo by Alejandro Diaz