Years ago, there was a paranoia of phosphates because they alledgedly caused the overgrowth of algae. Now with all the phosphate free detergent on the market, the eco-criminals are blaming nitrogen pollution. Most of it is natural, of course, and has been going on for billions of years, but the eco-criminals are still convinced they can extort more money from suckers.

Is it okay if I send Shorty over here? I think you might just have a friend, someone to meet and share fluids with

"The Gulf of Mexico dead zone is an area of hypoxic (link to USGS definition) (less than 2 ppm dissolved oxygen) waters at the mouth of the Mississippi River. Its area varies in size, but can cover up to 6,000-7,000 square miles. The zone occurs between the inner and mid-continental shelf in the northern Gulf of Mexico, beginning at the Mississippi River delta and extending westward to the upper Texas coast...

The dead zone is caused by nutrient enrichment from the Mississippi River, particularly nitrogen and phosphorous. Watersheds within the Mississippi River Basin drain much of the United States, from Montana to Pennsylvania and extending southward along the Mississippi River. Most of the nitrogen input comes from major farming states in the Mississippi River Valley, including Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Nitrogen and phosphorous enter the river through upstream runoff of fertilizers, soil erosion, animal wastes, and sewage. In a natural system, these nutrients aren't significant factors in algae growth because they are depleted in the soil by plants. However, with anthropogenically increased nitrogen and phosphorus input, algae growth is no longer limited. Consequently, algal blooms develop, the food chain is altered, and dissolved oxygen in the area is depleted. The size of the dead zone fluctuates seasonally, as it is exacerbated by farming practices. It is also affected by weather events such as flooding (more info) and hurricanes."

http://serc.carleton.edu/microbelife/topics/deadzone/

Washington and Oregon also have some significant, man made, off shore dead zones off their coasts. Of course since they are not easily seen from the shore, they do not get the attention they deserve. Maybe once or twice a year there will be an obscure news story. Out of sight, out of mind.

Sort of like the devastating pollution produced by the Chinese in their desire to fulfill our need of cheap plastic cr#p. We get the benefits, while exporting our pollution to places where we do not have to live with it.

Unfortunately that is only going to work for so long. It is just starting to catch up with us.

New York City has a massive dead zone. Eutrofied sticky places where the Coney Island White Fish breed.

It seems ole yodelbang has one of those coney island white fish pulled down over his head.

yikes

Fe-TAML will take care of these types of problems soon.

They're trying to figure out how to make it by the ton instead of by the gram.

How many trillions (really really rhetorical big used to be measured in billions--times change) of tons would be needed to clean the planet?

You enviro-crazies are far worse than the ones Petr Beckmann describes in his book.

Vote Republican!