NOAA-supported scientists announced today that this year’s Gulf of Mexico “dead zone”—an area of low to no oxygen that can kill fish and marine life—is approximately 4,402 square miles, 21% smaller than estimates from early June and the 15th smallest measurement on record. This equates to roughly 2.8 million acres of habitat potentially unavailable to fish and bottom-dwelling species, a reduction of 30% from the previous year.
This year’s Gulf of Mexico ‘dead zone’ is 21% smaller than estimates from early June
