Ocean Dead Zones

When referring to Arizona’s water Kris Mayes, chairwoman of the state’s utility regulatory panel once said, “How do you say just how valuable water is in an arid state like Arizona?” she said. “It’s like the credit-card commercial-it’s priceless” (McKinnon). She was right, because in a dry state like Arizona, water is pretty important. To say water is ‘pretty important’ for the world is an understatement. We use water to function. And when we think of water we think of saving it. Keep the faucets from dripping or turn off the water while brushing your teeth. There are numerous tips for water conservation, but people don’t often think of the damage that is already done. Damages like ‘dead zones’. Dead zones in the ocean have been around for years and have been steadily growing.

So, what are ocean dead zones? It is exactly as the words suggest. Dead zones are areas in the ocean that have no life. When there is a decline in oxygen levels in the ocean marine life are unable to survive (Vogt). They either flee or die leaving those areas vacant while the zones expand. The dead zones end up looking like “biological deserts” (“What is”). Ocean dead zones are being caused by climate changes, synthetic fertilizers and toxic waste. By increasing biodiversity, stopping the use of synthetic fertilizers, and using ecotechnology will help lesson dead zones and are worth looking into.

Since the 1960s dead zones have doubled every 10 years (McDermott). In 2008 the number of dead zones were 400 (McDermott). They have been found near the coast of Asia, New Zealand, the Black Sea, and Australia, just to name a few (Yarbrough). They have also been found in Lake Eerie (“The Gulf of”). One of the largest ocean dead zones can be found in the Gulf of...

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