Re: "'Fahrenheit 9/11' showed me the truth and compelled me to do what I can to stop the killing of innocent people," she said.

From: Vendicar Decarian (VD_at_Pyro.net)
Date: 08/10/04 

Date: Tue, 10 Aug 2004 14:48:58 -0400

"I R A Darth Aggie" <hfrarg@nttvr2x3.pbgfr.arg> wrote in message
news:slrncherun.b3k.hfrarg@nttvr2x3.pbgfr.arg...
> Even in silence, there is more content than transpires between your
> neurons.

Annual 'Dead Zone' Spreads Across Gulf of Mexico

Tue Aug 3, 7:43 PM ETAdd Science - Reuters to My Yahoo!
By Jeff Franks

HOUSTON (Reuters) - A huge "dead zone" of water so devoid of oxygen
that sea life cannot live in it has spread across 5,800 square miles
of the Gulf of Mexico this summer in what has become an annual
occurrence caused by pollution.

The extensive area of uninhabitable water may be contributing
indirectly to an unusual spate of shark bites along the Texas coast,
experts said.

A scientist at the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium said on
Tuesday measurements showed the dead zone extended from the mouth of
the Mississippi River in southeastern Louisiana 250 miles west to
near the Texas border and was closer to shore than usual because
winds and currents.

"Fish and swimming crabs escape (from the dead zone)," said Nancy
Rabalais, the consortium's chief scientist for hypoxia, or low
oxygen, research. "Anything else dies."

In the last 30 years, the dead zone has become an annual summer
phenomenon, fed by rising use of nitrate-based fertilizers by
farmers in the Mississippi watershed, Rabalais told Reuters.
The nitrates, carried into the gulf's warm summer waters by the
river, feed algae blooms that use up oxygen and make the water
uninhabitable.

The dead zone's size has varied each year depending on weather
conditions, but averages about 5,000 square miles and remains in
place until late September or early October.

Virtually nothing is being done to stop the flow of nitrates into
the river, meaning the dead zone will reappear every year, Rabalais
said.

The dead zone forces fish to seek better water, which may be a
reason for the recent shark bites on Texas beaches.

Three people have been bitten by sharks along the upper Texas coast
this year -- a high number for a state that has recorded only 18
shark attacks since 1980.

Terry Stelly, an ecosystem biologist with the Texas Parks and
Wildlife Department, said increasing numbers of sharks have been
found in recent years in the waters along the Texas-Louisiana
border, near the edge of the dead zone.

Along with other factors, "chances are good they (sharks) were
looking for higher dissolved oxygen in the water," he said.
Rabalais agreed, saying "The higher number of sharks in shallow
waters may very likely be due to the low oxygen being close to the
shore at the time of the attacks."

"The available habitat for the sharks is definitely less when the
low oxygen is so widespread," she said.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: "Fahrenheit 9/11 showed me the truth and compelled me to do what I can to stop the killing
    ... Annual 'Dead Zone' Spreads Across Gulf of Mexico ... The extensive area of uninhabitable water may be contributing ... indirectly to an unusual spate of shark bites along the Texas coast, ... Three people have been bitten by sharks along the upper Texas coast ...
    (sci.geo.meteorology)
  • Re: Kona coffee brand protection
    ... from the mouth of the Mississippi River ... Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone, because oxygen levels within the zone are ... Hypoxic conditions arise when dissolved oxygen levels in the water ... bringing nutrient rich waters that form a layer of fresh water ...
    (alt.coffee)
  • Re: Kona coffee brand protection
    ... from the mouth of the Mississippi River ... Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone, because oxygen levels within the zone are ... Hypoxic conditions arise when dissolved oxygen levels in the water ... bringing nutrient rich waters that form a layer of fresh water ...
    (alt.coffee)
  • Researcher says Gulf dead zone bigger than ever
    ... Researcher says Gulf dead zone bigger than ever ... because the oxygen-depleted water can kill marine life. ... an area off the Louisiana coast at the mouth of the Mississippi River. ...
    (rec.animals.wildlife)