The Key Culprit
The cause of dead zones is fertilizer run off into the waters of the
ocean, fertilizers contain nitrogen which is a key product in plant
growth. Fertilizers that are used to increase the outcome of crops
run into the water and instead feed massive algae blooms in coastal
waters. When the algae dies in the water it sinks to the bottom where
it is decomposed by microbes, this decomposition process uses up
oxygen. More algae means more oxygen burning decomposition processes
eventually leading to oxygen-less areas of water. Fish and other
creatures that are mobile are forced to relocate from the area and
creatures that are immobile die as a product of no oxygen in their
environment. These areas are then taken over by microbes that thrive
in oxygen free environments, forming bacterial mates that produce
hydrogen sulfide, a toxic gas. The key culprit in the fertilizer
caused dead zones is nitrogen which is very strong and slippery so it
is very hard to keep it on land. Nitrogen does not dissolve in water
and its structure is not affected by going through the runoff. The
best way to reduce dead zones that are caused by nitrogen runoff is to start with the fertilizers.
By: Shaza Karam
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