Dead Zones Grow in the Gulf of Mexico

Biofuels

I agree with Antonio, on behalf of changing the dead zone into a green zone. By doing so hoping that the aquadic life will return. In the process by changing over to organic farming, this in turn will make chemical fertilzers none usable. By this time periold this county should have electric cars on the market, and chemical fertilers should be no more. R.C.S of Rolla Missouri

Dead zones grow in Gulf of Mexico

One solution is to create new wetlands along the rivers and plant them with cat tail plants. Cat tails are very efficient at filtering water and if they are periodically harvested on a rotational basis they can produce much, much more ethanol than corn can produce on a per acre basis.

Congress should mandate organic farming. Organic farming would bring 30 to 40 per cent more income to farmers on a per acre basis. This would help direct a larger part of the national income to rural areas. I don't think anyone would mind paying 30% more for food if they knew it was for a good cause.

Dead zones - why no discussion of organic farming?

If the problem is run-off from fertilizers, then the opportunity to reduce said run-off by using organic farming methods strikes me a possible solution to be explored in your article. No mention?

Biofuels

Let take the nitrogen and phosphorus(fertilizer), and develop biofuel mixtures. The Dead Zone is now a Green Zone for the United States of America. Further, the algae residue as well can be turn into a Green Zone.

As a Biotechnologist, the Green Zone means money. I am driven by money. In closing, think positive about the future of this nation with education. What if education was the first admendent to the Constitution? The energy crisis is just a simply linear equation, yet, to be solved.

Antonio the Sun

hypoxia

The use of nitrogen based fertilizers and phosforus additives is a long held process used by farmers, worm cast, however, which is produced by earthworm ingestion of these manures and otherwise pollutants, is run-off safe and a better fertilzer by leaps and bounds. Farmer can create another cash crop out of their own waste by co-composting and vermiculture. The Government could help by mandating or subsidizing these bio-friendly fertilizers thus making it $ friendly and cutting off the pollutants before they are introduced to the waterways....respond to dfrancisburns@yahoo.com for help

Dead Zones

Thanks, JAG -- you are spot on. My bllod pressure is down 8 points sisnce I started to ride my bike to work two weeks ago.

Regarding Agriculture as the source of Hypoxia in the Gulf, I would like to point out that there is more to the story which most are ignoring. At the Task Force on Hypoxia Meeting in Chicago last February it was shown that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are responsible for a very large percentage of the phosphorus entering the river systems due to their dumping and causing to erode river bottom soils which they label sediment. This is former farm land and some of the richest soil in the world. By far they are contributing more than agriculture and USGS is not reporting it and EPA is ignoring it. The press only wants to blame agriculture. Only the Clean Water Commission in the state of Missouri has been brave enough to take on the Corps. The Corps documents indicate their executed and planned projects would dump 358,403 tons of Phosphorus into the Missouri river.

Law of unintended consequences

The congress pours shameful subdsidies onto argricultural interests, then urges them to devote huge concentrations of land to growing sources for ethanol (which uses more energy than it produces), thereby increasing the use of fertilizers, thus ensuring increased run-off into coastal waters and ever larger dead zones.

Congress daily reveals its astounding ignorance.

Dead Zones Growing

The increase in dead zones attributed to agriculture are stemming from Americans' incessant demand for cars. And with an ever-increasing population growth, this will mean more cars. Public transit systems and better rail service between cities are needed. The demand for ethanol for fuel not only involves American farmers but those in South America and elswhere. Vast tracts of rainforests are being decimated to create plantations to produce ethanol feedstocks. (palmetto, soy, whipgrass). That takes from our oxygen producing rainforests. So dead zones AND widespread ecosystem displacement are the fallout of car drivers' insatiable demands on our Planet. Ride a bike, take transit, walk. Reduce car usage.

mischaracterization

The article implies that the recurring dead zones off of the Oregon and Washington coasts are, like those in the Gulf, due to agricultural runoff. That's not true. They are believed to be caused by abnormal wind-driven upwelling.