Gulf of Mexico's Dead Zone Measures 6,705 Square Miles in 2024

The Gulf of Mexico's "dead zone," an area with low oxygen levels harmful to marine life, was measured at approximately 6,705 square miles in 2024. This marks the 12th largest zone recorded in 38 years of monitoring. The measurement was conducted by scientists from Louisiana State University and the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium aboard the research vessel Pelican from July 21 to 26, 2024. The five-year average size of the dead zone now stands at 4,298 square miles, more than twice the target set by the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force to reduce the five-year average extent to fewer than 1,900 square miles by 2035. The dead zone is primarily caused by excess nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus, entering the Gulf of Mexico through the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin. These nutrients stimulate an overgrowth of algae, which, upon decomposing, deplete oxygen levels in the water, leading to hypoxic conditions. Exposure to hypoxic waters has been found to alter fish diets, growth rates, reproduction, habitat use, and the availability of commercially harvested species such as shrimp. Efforts to reduce the size of the dead zone include the establishment of the Gulf Hypoxia Program by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in June 2022. The program aims to accelerate nutrient reduction actions by the Hypoxia Task Force, with a goal to reduce the five-year average extent of the dead zone to fewer than 1,900 square miles by 2035. The EPA is investing $60 million over five years to support these efforts. Despite these initiatives, the dead zone remains larger than the target, indicating the need for continued and enhanced strategies to address nutrient pollution and its impact on the Gulf's ecosystem.