Dead Zones

Eutrophication and Hypoxia

• Water Quality: Eutrophication and Hypoxia (PDF, 1.1Mb) Eutrophication—the overenrichment of water by nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus—has emerged as a leading water quality problem. This report identifies over 415 areas worldwide that are experiencing eutrophication symptoms, and there are significant information gaps in many regions. (Source: WRI)

• Terrible Ocean Headlines
• Number of Ocean ‘Dead Zones’ Doubling Every Decade (14 Aug 2008 )

• U.S. dead zones may reach record levels this summer (July 15, 2008 )
• Ocean dead zones have nearly quadrupled since 1994 (April 3, 2008 )
• Coastal dead zones spread globally, study finds (Aug 14, 2008 )
• The long-ignored ocean emergency and what can be done to address it(Aug 18, 2008 )

• AAAS: Changes in West Coast Marine Ecosystems Significant
• 200 “dead zones” in the oceans … a 34 percent jump in the number from just two years ago
• Recurring “Dead Zone” Off Oregon is Spreading
• Creeping Dead Zones
• The delicate interplay between the oceans and atmosphere is changing with catastrophic consequences
• Great Barrier Reef polluted by pesticides
• Disappearing world: Global warming claims tropical island

Global What?

– National Academy of Sciences: There will always be uncertainty in understanding a system as complex as the world’s climate. However there is now strong evidence that significant global warming is occurring. The evidence comes from direct measurements of rising surface air temperatures and subsurface ocean temperatures and from phenomena such as increases in average global sea levels, retreating glaciers, and changes to many physical and biological systems. It is likely that most of the warming in recent decades can be attributed to human activities (IPCC 2001). This warming has already led to changes in the Earth’s climate.

– AAAS: The scientific evidence is clear: global climate change caused by human activities is occurring now, and it is a growing threat to society. Accumulating data from across the globe reveal a wide array of effects: rapidly melting glaciers, destabilization of major ice sheets, increases in extreme weather, rising sea level, shifts in species ranges, and more. The pace of change and the evidence of harm have increased markedly over the last five years. The time to control greenhouse gas emissions is now.

– IPCC: Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global average sea level.