Scientists debate role of biofuels in expanding “dead zone” in Gulf of Mexico

Scientists are debating the impact of increased ethanol production on the Gulf of Mexico “dead zone”. The dead zone is caused when a proliferation of bacteria absorb so much oxygen that fish and other marine life cannot survive.

The bacteria grow out of control as the result of massive algae blooms in the Gulf. The blooms in turn are caused by nitrates pouring into the Gulf, and the nitrates come from corn fertilizer.

The increase in corn cultivation has scientists worried about a chain reaction that would devastate marine life and the fishing industry.

A recent article in Bloomberg pointed out the increasing size of the Gulf Of Mexico dead zone due to excessive production of corn in the Mississippi River watershed.

Increased Levels of Farm Waste Are Hurting Gulf Waters. “The crop that is bringing prosperity to farmers is making it harder for commercial fishermen in Louisiana to make a living. U.S. farmers this spring planted the most acreage with corn since 1944, after demand for ethanol pushed the grain’s price to a 10-year high. That has increased the level of farm waste flowing into the Mississippi River basin, which scientists blame for creating a pocket along the Louisiana coast where shrimp and other sea life cannot survive. The Gulf of Mexico’s so-called Dead Zone is expected to cover a record 8,543 square miles, or 22,126 square kilometers, this year and stretch into waters off Texas, said Nancy Rabalais, chief scientist for a study team at the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium. … Corn fuels the zone because it requires more nitrogen-based fertilizer than crops like soybeans, said Eugene Turner, a Louisiana State University oceanographer. Nitrogen and other nutrients eventually reach the Gulf of Mexico, feeding microscopic organisms that deplete oxygen levels as they die and decompose on the sea floor. Shrimp and fish suffocate unless they escape. … ‘The rah-rah sort of drowns out the environmental side,’ [Rabalais] said. ‘If our federal government subsidizes more corn, they’re working against water quality.’”

(Tony Cox, “Ethanol Demand Seen Harming U.S. Fishermen,” Bloomberg, July 23, 2007)

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