Tiered collaborative strategies for reducing hypoxia and restoring the Gulf of Mexico

T he Gulf of Mexico is more than just a water body south of the United States. It is an international marine ecosystem, the ninth largest water body in the world (USEPA 2007), and it receives drainage from the Mississippi River Basin (MRB), the third largest drainage basin in the world. The combined gross domestic product of the five states bordering the Gulf of Mexico (Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas) makes this region the seventh largest global economy (IMF 2007). Major regional industries include commercial and recreational fishing, shrimp and oyster harvesting, tourism and recreation, and oil and gas production. Many of these industries are affected by the water quality of the Gulf of Mexico, as illustrated by the economic and environmental impacts of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Clearly, the health of the Gulf of Mexico contributes not only to the local and regional economy, but also to the national and global economy. Another phenomena annually affecting Gulf of Mexico water quality is the development of a “dead zone,” or area of hypoxia where dissolved oxygen concentrations decrease to levels that will not support aquatic life (Rabalais et al. 2002). This hypoxic zone is caused by nutrients transported…