Oceanography: Dead Zones

what is the first step in the formation of dead zones?

1) influx in nutrients (nitrogen) mos commonly in the summer when water in warming

what is the fifth step in the formation of dead zones?

Causes Hypoxic or Anoxic conditions & causes life forms to flee or die

What are two locations in north america that are experiencing frequent dead zones?

The gulf of mexico and lake erie

What is a phytoplankton bloom?

a rapid increase in the in the phytoplankton population

what does eutrophication mean?

an ecological imbalance that occurs such as what happens at dead zones

what is the fourth step in the formation of dead zones?

bacteria decompose to waste & dead plankton using up all the oxygen in the area

what is another term for phytoplankton bloom?

dead zone

what is the third step in the formation of dead zones?

fish go on a feeding frenzy and create waste that settles at the bottom killing all the phytoplankton

what is the second step in the formation of dead zones?

phytoplankton will reproduce rapidly because they love nitrogen and cause a bloom

which type of marine organisms are most likely to die from hypoxic and anoxic conditions and why?

shell fish are more likely to die from dead zones because they either cannot move or they do not move fast enough to leave the area

If phytoplankton produce oxygen, how does an abundance of them results in dead zones?

they are consumed by fish at a higher rate and the fishes waste causes bacteria to use up all the oxygen

what does hypoxic mean?

when lower than 2 mg/L of dissolved oxygen in water

what does anoxic mean?

when there is no dissolved oxygen in the water