Scientists: Surprisingly small ‘dead zone’ off Louisiana

NEW ORLEANS — This year’s Gulf of Mexico “dead zone” is surprisingly small, but the oxygen-depleted water rose higher toward the surface than usual, scientists said Tuesday. This dead zone is the fourth-smallest ever measured in Louisiana, and is only about 40 percent the average size predicted earlier this year based on nitrogen and other nutrients flowing down the Mississippi river. Winds over shallow areas of the dead zone probably mixed oxygen into water, Rabalais said, while other winds squeezed oxygen-poor water into narrower confines. He also noted that the dead zone reached higher than usual, “indicating that the overall volume of water with very low oxygen might have been similar to the predicted areas with a more typical thickness.”