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Is corn boom expanding Gulf of Mexico’s ‘dead zone’? Some fear an ethanol-fueled harvest in the Midwest may be behind the hard times for marine life at the other end of the Mississippi River

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 4, 2008 at 5:46 am

From the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star-Tribune:

Last fall, the farm fields of the Midwest yielded record profits and the greatest corn crop in recent history. But there may have been an unintended consequence hundreds of miles to the south: As the corn grew, so did the size of the “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico.

The dead zone is a low-oxygen area virtually uninhabitable by marine life. It emerges in the spring and summer, created in large part by high nitrogen levels and other nutrients such as phosphorus. Its size varies: Last year it was about as big as Massachusetts.

Recent studies suggest that a prime driver for the dead zone — or hypoxia — is farm-field runoff from the Mississippi River basin, although cities also play a role, contributing municipal, industrial and lawn and garden runoff.

Now, with the growing season underway, Congress late last month passed a major five-year farm bill over President Bush’s veto. It includes an increase in funds for conservation, which could keep some additional land out of production and rein in some runoff. Market conditions, however, appear to favor production.

Read more on this story from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star-Tribune by clicking here.

June 4, 2008 · Filed Under Biofuels, Other Oceans & Beaches Stories