How big is the dead zone in the Baltic Sea?

How big is the dead zone in the Baltic Sea?

approximately 70,000 square kilometers
Despite the best efforts of countries on the Baltic coast to help the sea recover over the past 10 years, the “dead zone” in the Baltic Sea now covers an area of approximately 70,000 square kilometers — roughly the size of Ireland — the Guardian reported.

How did the Baltic Sea become a dead zone?

The Baltic Sea is no stranger to dead zones. The dead zones are due largely to the Baltic’s limited circulation and strong layering of water, which stop oxygen from replenishing bottom waters. Since the 1950s, nutrient pollution from fertilizer and sewage has caused hypoxia in the Baltic to surge.

How old is the Baltic Sea dead zone?

The planet’s youngest sea at less than 10,000 years old, the Baltic is unique in that it formed after the last ice age. It’s also one of the world’s largest bodies of brackish water.

Is the Baltic Sea polluted?

The Baltic Sea is almost totally surrounded by land and therefore more endangered by pollution than other marine areas. The sources of marine pollution are municipal and industrial waste inputs directly into the sea or via rivers, and atmospheric inputs mainly from traffic and agriculture.

Why is the Baltic Sea low in oxygen?

As of 2009 the total area of bottom covered with hypoxic waters with oxygen concentrations less than 2 mg/l in the Baltic Sea has averaged 49,000 km2 over the last 40 years. The ultimate cause of hypoxia is excess nutrient loading from human activities causing algal blooms.

What is the dirtiest sea in the world?

The Baltic Sea is one of the most polluted seas in the world. Most of the pollution originates from inland activities.

What is the largest dead zone in the world?

The largest dead zone in the world encompasses the entire bottom of the Baltic Sea. Others dead zones occur in the Chesapeake Bay, off the coast of Oregon, Lake Erie, and the most famous dead zone is located in the Gulf of Mexico.

What is the biggest Dead Zone?

The dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico is the largest recorded dead zone in the world, 1 beginning at the Mississippi River delta and spanning more than 8,700 square miles — about the size of New Jersey. Needless to say, the fishing industry is taking a big hit, each year getting worse than the last.

What are dead zones?

Dead zones are hypoxic (low-oxygen) areas in the world’s oceans and large lakes, caused by “excessive nutrient pollution from human activities coupled with other factors that deplete the oxygen required to support most marine life in bottom and near-bottom water. (NOAA)”.

What is the Dead Zone?

“Dead zone” is a more common term for hypoxia, which refers to a reduced level of oxygen in the water. Hypoxic zones are areas in the ocean where the oxygen concentration is so low that animals can suffocate and die, and as a result are often called “dead zones.”. The largest hypoxic zone in the United States, and the second largest hypoxic zone…