It comes back every summer: damaging coastlines, wildlife, and the economy that depends on them. There are thousands of miles of low oxygen “dead zones”, caused by pollution and accelerated by climate change.
It starts when nutrients, mostly from farm fertilizers, end up in stormwater runoff that flows into the Mississippi River. These nutrients then move downstream to the Gulf and promote the growth of algae in the water, far more than there should ordinarily be. When this algae dies, it sinks to the bottom of the waterway and begins to decompose, which depletes the oxygen supply in the water.
This creates a “dead zone” that lacks oxygen, known as hypoxia, which will either kill wildlife or drive it elsewhere. Some algae even produce toxins that can harm wildlife or people, creating the famous “red tide”. This not only hurts the work of those who fish, but it also hurts tourism and other important industries. The size of the dead zone fluctuates but on average spans an amazing 5,380 miles of coastline. Many scientists also believe that the issue of harmful algal blooms is accelerated by climate change, as a rising temperature results in more rainfall, and therefore more runoff carrying fertilizer into waterways.
However, this issue is not unique to the Gulf, with the same problem being seen on a smaller scale in New Jersey as well. Particularly in 2019, Lake Hopatcong, as well as several other New Jersey lakes, saw devastating harmful algal blooms in many of their swimming areas, affecting much of the summer. While studies and solutions have been developed in order to address the issue, the Gulf of Mexico dead zone is by no means unique, with the problem being seen in New York Harbor as well.
Recently, Stevens has been involved with an effort to address this problem, a $1.3 million research project led by the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium, and involving several other New Jersey universities as well. The team will address stormwater pollution as a whole in the New York and New Jersey area with the overall goal of improving green infrastructure and improving the health of the waterways. It is funded largely by the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration.
The project will go for three years, with the team first identifying any knowledge gap when it comes to stormwater runoff. Their next step is to fund projects and research to address those gaps in order to develop water cleansing technologies. The team is also focusing on urban areas in particular, which they point out do not often get addressed in issues concerning stormwater pollution. According to Stevens Professor Dibyendu Sarkar, “Our problem in the New York City region gets less attention, because it’s on a smaller scale…But it’s the same problem at its heart.”
Regardless of its location, the pollution of waterways and its effects is a problem that will only continue to get worse. However, with the addition of more green technology and research, we continue to take steps in the right direction of a solution.
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