The year is now 2100. Ocean dead zones are still present around the world; in this page, we will explore the fates of the dead zones that were present back in 2016.
Gulf of MexicoIn 2016, the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico stretched the entire United States' coastline with the gulf, but was focused around the state of Louisiana. Now, in 2100, the gulf has caused the state of Louisiana to lose its multi-million dollar fishing industry. Various seafood restaurants in the New Orleans metropolitan area have gone out of business, and Louisiana's unemployment rate is now the highest in the nation. However, for the rest of the Gulf states - Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida - environmental regulations by the EPA were successful in curbing the growth of such dead zones. These states still have thriving industries that rely on marine life.
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Baltic SeaThe sizes of dead zones in the Baltic Sea have drastically decreased. In 2016, dead zones were severe in the Baltic because of the presence of fjords that would trap oxygen-poor waters in the area. With rising global temperatures since 2016 and the melting of many fjords, the dead zones in the Baltic have decreased in magnitude.
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Eastern United StatesIn the Eastern United States, the Environmental Protection Agency was successful in implementing legislation to stop the growth of such zones. Billions of dollars over the past century have been poured into stopping dead zones. The size of the dead zones, however, were simply too big to eliminate. Dead zones are still present in the Eastern seaboard, but at least the marine industries of the East Coast have been saved.
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East Asia (China/Japan)Dead zones in the East Asian region, centered around China and Japan in the Yellow Sea, have drastically increased since 2016. A failure to implement environmental legislation by the Chinese government has resulted in a massive increase in hypoxic sea levels. The runoff from agricultural chemicals used in the Yellow and Yangtze river valleys has greatly contributed to the problem.This has caused in a massive hit to the Chinese and Japanese fishing industries. China is beginning to feel the results of its apathy to environmental issues.
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New Dead ZonesNew dead zones have popped up since 2016 in regions of the world that have seen excessive population growth. Uncontrolled population growth in sub-Saharan Africa has caused dead zones to appear in the Gulf of Guinea. The Niger River delta is bringing agricultural runoff from various countries into the gulf. The Gulf of Sidra in Libya has also seen the growth of dead zones as a result of Libya’s massive population growth spurt. Environmental organizations around the world have focused efforts to stop the growth of these new dead zones.
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