--- title: Gulf of Mexico: Dead Zone Threatens Area Size of Connecticut description: This year's dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico will kill off marine life in an area the size of Connecticut canonical: https://time.com/4363260/dead-zone-gulf-of-mexico/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-06-09T21:21:03.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T22:30:29.196Z article:section: Science og:title: This Strange Natural Phenonemon Will Kill Off Marine Life in an Area the Size of Connecticut og:description: The dead zone leaves organism unable to breathe og:url: https://time.com/4363260/dead-zone-gulf-of-mexico/ og:site_name: TIME og: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 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: school of fish gulf of mexico og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: This Strange Natural Phenonemon Will Kill Off Marine Life in an Area the Size of Connecticut twitter:description: The dead zone leaves organism unable to breathe twitter: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 ---  # This Man-Made Phenomenon Will Kill Off Marine Life in an Area the Size of Connecticut  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Jun 9, 2016 9:21 PM UTC  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](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Jun 9, 2016 9:21 PM UTC 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). That loss of marine life in turn threatens the fishermen and communities that rely on seafood. 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