Scientists have been reporting for years what tends to happen to our waterways when excess amounts of fertilizer and sewage are allowed to be released into the environment. It tends to significantly reduce the amount of oxygen in the water, and this kills fish and crabs and other underwater beings that need oxygen to survive. Think of the mouth of the Mississippi as the end of a giant waste pipe and you can understand why a huge dead zone has formed at its termination point in the Gulf of Mexico.

Tags: conservation, dead zone, Gulf of Mexico, oceanography, pollution, water