June 3, 2021 — The “dead zone” that appears in the Gulf of Mexico every summer is expected to be smaller than normal this year, according to an announcement Thursday, 3 June from NOAA scientists.
This year’s hypoxic area – which features little or no oxygen to sustain marine life – is forecasted to be about 4,880 square miles, or roughly twice the size of Delaware. The five-year average for the “dead zone” is about 5,400 square miles, slightly smaller than Connecticut.