Forecast for the Gulf of Mexico’s Spring “Dead Zone”

On April 9, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecast that the summer hypoxic “dead zone” in the northern Gulf of Mexico in 2026 is expected to cover an area of approximately 5,700–7,200 square kilometers. The Mississippi River carries nitrogen and phosphorus from agricultural fertilizers and urban wastewater into the ocean, triggering algal blooms that consume oxygen and cause fish and benthic organisms to suffocate and die.