Ocean dead zones growing globally
When the ocean gets certain pockets of low oxygen -- too low to sustain life -- they're called dead zones, and they're spreading like the plague. Also known as hypoxia, these dead zones are a threat to smaller marine life now, but will eventually spread to much larger sea creatures down the line if something is done soon."We have to realize that hypoxia is not a local problem," said Robert J. Diaz of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. "It is a global problem and it has severe consequences for ecosystems." Researchers say that the recent increase in dead zones are caused by pollution-fed algae, which starve other marine life of needed oxygen. The blame for this pollution lies on fertilizer and other farm run-off, sewage and fossil-fuel burning.












