National Geographic News, Reporting Your World Daily

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Photo: Ocean Dead Zones Growing; May Be Linked to Warming


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A map created in 2008 shows 415 eutrophic (overly nutrient-rich) and hypoxic coastal systems worldwide—169 documented hypoxic areas (red), 233 areas of concern (yellow), and 13 systems in recovery (green).

A new study has found that the tropical ocean's dead zones are growing in size and intensity as sea temperatures rise, posing risks to many marine organisms and fisheries.

Image courtesy World Resources Institute