Did Gulf Spill Boost "Dead Zone"?
Did the BP oil spill may sap oxygen from the Gulf of Mexico? Scientists are weighing new findings against years of "dead zone" data.
Microbes consuming oil from the Gulf of Mexico's BP spill deplete oxygen levels when they die, raising the threat of an expanded "dead zone," which endangers some marine life. Now scientists are using years of dead-zone data to determine whether the dangerous region grew after the spill.
WHEN THE BP OIL SPILL IN THE GULF OF MEXICO BEGAN IN APRIL, NATURALLY OCCURRING MICROBES BEGAN THEIR WORK, GOBBLING UP SOME OF THE OIL WHEN THE MICROBES DIE, OXYGEN IN THE WATER IS USED UP AS THEY DECOMPOSE.
SCIENTISTS HAVE BEEN CONCERNED THAT, IF THIS OCCURED IN MASS QUANTITIES AS A SERIOUS CONSEQUENCE OF THE OIL SPILL, IT COULD CREATE HYPOXIC OR ‘DEAD ZONES’ OF LOW OXYGEN IN THE WATER.
SOUNDBITE: MIKE ROMAN, LAB DIRECTOR,
