Wetlands Restoration Could Reduce Dead Zone

The Gulf of Mexico at the mouth of the Mississippi River has a dead zone of approximately 975 square miles. That would cover 80% of the state of Rhode Island. This dead zone is an area of low-oxygen water created by extreme amounts of nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen. These nutrients typically come from fertilizers applied to farm fields and lawns which are then washed into the Mississippi River and flushed directly into the Gulf of Mexico. The nutrients rob the water of oxygen making it unsuitable for plants and animals in an area that makes up a large portion of the nations fishing grounds.

As wetlands are lost, this dead zone grows. Wetlands typically filter out these excess nutrients and provide fresh, oxygen-rich water to the Gulf of Mexico; however, Louisiana is losing a football field of wetlands every 38 minutes. Researchers are working furiously to restore balance to this fragile ecosystem. Wetlands are being developed upstream of the Gulf Coast to help reduce nutrient loads entering the Mississippi River and restoration efforts abound along the coast. Rebuilding wetlands along Louisiana's coast not only benefits water quality, but also provides invaluable hurricane protection by reducing storm surge and, in turn, reducing potential stresses on levees.