Dead zone burden placed on farmers

Scientists studying the 7,000-square-mile dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico have placed much of the blame on fertiliser runoff from American farms.

Published 29th January 1999

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Only changes in farming practices, they say, will help alleviate the hypoxic area. Scientists estimate that to eliminate the hypoxic zone in the gulf – an area that cannot sustain life because it has too little oxygen – the US should reduce the amount of excess nitrogen flowing into the Gulf by 20 percent or more. Much of this burden would be placed on farmers.

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