Executive Summary
Every summer since 2002, an area with low levels of dissolved oxygen, called a “dead zone”, has formed off of the coasts of Oregon and Washington. Dead zones have so little oxygen that they can no longer support most marine life. Dead zones are common occurrences in places with large amounts of industrial or agricultural runoff, but Oregon and Washington do not have significant amounts of pollution in the affected areas. The reason for this dead zone is climate change. As global temperatures rise, wind patterns change and this causes upwelling along the west coast of North America. The upwelling causes algae blooms that cause a hypoxic zone in the region that is deadly to marine life. Ocean acidification also contributes to the problems associated with the dead zone by limiting the ability of certain organisms to repopulate after losses suffered because of hypoxia. The dead zone is a danger to our environment because it destroys marine habitat and causes massive losses to marine life, particularly to lower levels of the food chain that many other species are dependent on for food. The dead zone will also negatively affect the economies of both Washington and Oregon, which are highly dependent on commercial and recreational fishing, wildlife viewing, and other maritime activities. These industries will take significant damage if the dead zone persists or worsens. Currently work is being done at Oregon State University to understand how we can better combat the dead zone and address the problems associated with it; Washington has done very little to research or address the dead zone. What must be done in order to correct the dead zone, or at least keep it from getting worse, is to slow and stop climate change, which is the cause of the dead zone, by limiting greenhouse gas emissions to safe levels and investing in the future of our planet.
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