> Quote of the day: > The water cycle & the life cycle are one. Jacques > Cousteau~~~~~<@))))>< > ------ > > Survey Finds Gulf 'Dead Zone' Much Larger > > Mon Aug 1, 8:35 PM ET > > The dead zone off the coasts of Louisiana and Texas > is nearly the size of Connecticut and much larger > than federal researchers had predicted earlier this > year, according to a new survey. > > An annual weeklong cruise led by researchers with > the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium found > an area of low-oxygen measuring 4,564 square miles > and extending from the Mississippi River to the > Texas border. On average, the dead zone has measured > about 4,800 square miles since 1985. > > The dead zone, also known as hypoxia, forms each > spring and summer as fresh water enters the Gulf of > Mexico and causes large algae blooms. The algae die > and sink to the bottom of the Gulf, where they > decompose, using up oxygen in the deeper, saltier > water. Fish avoid the low-oxygen water, and > bottom-living organisms are killed. > > For the rest of the article: > http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050802/ap_on_sc/dead_zone > > On the Net: > > Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Watch Page: > http://www.ncddc.noaa.gov/ecosystems/hypoxia > > LUMCON: http://www.lumcon.edu > > For some nutrient data collected by citizen water > quality monitors: > Sierra Club-Tennessee Water Sentinels: > http://www.sierraclub.org/watersentinels/tennessee/ > ------ > > Pacific Coast Life Concerns Scientists > > By TERENCE CHEA, Associated Press Writer > > Mon Aug 1, 8:29 PM ET > > > > Marine biologists are seeing mysterious and > disturbing things along the Pacific Coast this year: > higher water temperatures, plummeting catches of > fish, lots of dead birds on the beaches, and perhaps > most worrisome, very little plankton — the tiny > organisms that are a vital link in the ocean food > chain. > > Is this just one freak year? Or is this global > warming? > > Few scientists are willing to blame global warming, > the theory that carbon dioxide and other manmade > emissions are trapping heat in the Earth's > atmosphere and causing a worldwide rise in > temperatures. Yet few are willing to rule it out. > > "There are strange things happening, but we don't > really understand how all the pieces fit together," > said Jane Lubchenco, a zoologist and climate change > expert at Oregon State University. "It's hard to say > whether any single event is just an anomaly or a > real indication of something serious happening." > > For the rest of the article: > > http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050802/ap_on_sc/ocean_crisis > > > > > > > > > --------------------------------- > Start your day with Yahoo! - make it your home page > > > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > - - - - - - > To get off the CONS-EQST-WATER-FORUM list, send any > message to: > [log in to unmask] __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp