"The Chesapeake Bay’s oxygen-starved “dead zone,” a closely watched indicator of the estuary’s health, started early this summer with worse than normal conditions before dramatically improving by early August, scientists recently reported.

Overall, scientists concluded this summer’s low oxygen, or hypoxic, conditions were near average. But, in this case, “average” masks conditions which, at times, were both significantly better and worse than normal.

Estimating the extent of the dead zone is important because almost all aquatic life requires some level of oxygen to survive, and reducing the affected area has been the driving force behind the region’s nutrient reduction efforts.

The nutrients phosphorus and nitrogen fuel algae growth. When there are more algae than can be consumed by fish and shellfish, the excess die and sink to the bottom where it is decomposed by bacteria in a process that removes oxygen from deep water areas."

Karl Blankenship reports for the Bay Journal November 25, 2024. [2]