--- description: This year's dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico will kill off marine life in an area the size of Connecticut title: This Strange Natural Phenonemon Will Kill Off Marine Life in an Area the Size of Connecticut image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt399c34b113ecbe30/6988972fbc6cfc0d563dd567/school-of-fish-gulf-of-mexico.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Science](/section/science/) ## Science Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [climate](/tag/climate/) ## climate Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # This Man-Made Phenomenon Will Kill Off Marine Life in an Area the Size of Connecticut  by [Justin Worland](/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Senior Correspondent Jun 9, 2016 9:21 PM CUT  Shoal of sardines swim in the new tank at Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise on March 19, 2009, in Yokohama, Japan Shoal of sardines swim in the new tank at Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise on March 19, 2009, in Yokohama, JapanJunko Kimura\_Getty Images  by [Justin Worland](/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Senior Correspondent Jun 9, 2016 9:21 PM CUT This year’s dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico will kill off marine life in an area the size of Connecticut, government scientists said Thursday. Dead zones are created by excess nutrients, in this case from the Mississippi River, that drain into the water and drive a rapid growth of plankton. These plankton are consumed by fish, which in turn leave increased levels of waste at the bottom of the ocean. That waste decomposes in a process that uses up oxygen and leaves organisms unable to breathe. The about average 6,000-sq.-mi. area, formally known as a hypoxic zone, brings low-oxygen conditions that could harm marine life like fish, shrimp and crab that live in the region, according to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [report](http://www.gulfhypoxia.net/news/images/2016%5Fhypoxia%5Fforecast%5FLSU%5FLUMCON.pdf "undefined"). That loss of marine life in turn threatens the fishermen and communities that rely on seafood. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4363260/dead-zone-gulf-of-mexico/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4363260/dead-zone-gulf-of-mexico/"},"headline":"This Man-Made Phenomenon Will Kill Off Marine Life in an Area the Size of Connecticut","datePublished":"2016-06-09T21:21:03.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T22:30:29.196Z","description":"The dead zone leaves organism unable to breathe","url":"https://time.com/4363260/dead-zone-gulf-of-mexico/","keywords":["climate"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt399c34b113ecbe30/6988972fbc6cfc0d563dd567/school-of-fish-gulf-of-mexico.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Justin Worland","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/justin-worland/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt399c34b113ecbe30/6988972fbc6cfc0d563dd567/school-of-fish-gulf-of-mexico.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"school of fish gulf of mexico","caption":"school of fish gulf of mexico","creditText":"Junko Kimura_Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/climate/","name":"climate"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4363260/dead-zone-gulf-of-mexico/","name":"This Man-Made Phenomenon Will Kill Off Marine Life in an Area the Size of Connecticut"}}]}] ```