What is an Ocean Dead Zone?
An Ocean Dead Zone is essentially an area of ocean that lacks enough oxygen to support life. These areas of ocean lose the oxygen needed to support life because of a process called Eutrophication. Eutrophication causes Algal Blooms which transforms the ocean into a state of hypoxia or insufficient levels of oxygen (National Geographic).
Eutrophication occurs when there are too many nutrients in water, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus. Nitrogen and Phosphorus are in synthetic fertilizers and sewage. This abundance of nutrients leads to a huge spike in the growth of little green bacterial organisms called cyannobacteria. The cyannobacteria grow rampant, causing an Algal Bloom. and using up all the available oxygen in the area.
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