"NEW ORLEANS — Scientists say this year that the 'dead zone' area that forms every summer in the Gulf of Mexico is one of the largest ever measured.

The large area of low oxygen that chokes marine life comes in addition to the massive BP oil spill.

Microbes that eat the oil can deplete oxygen in the water. But the researchers who measure the dead zone couldn't say there is a connection between the spill and the dead zone's size."

The Associated Press had the story August 2, 2010. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"Gulf Of Mexico 'Dead Zone' Overlaps BP Spill Zone" (Reuters) [3]

"Massive 'dead Zone' in the Gulf -- But Not Because of the Oil Spill" (Christian Science Monitor) [4]