The Mississippi River Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force, otherwise known as the Hypoxia Task Force (HTF), held a virtual fall meeting from September 30 to October 1, 2020.

Comprising five federal agencies, 12 states and one tribal member, the HTF works collaboratively to reduce and control the Gulf of Mexico dead zone, the largest hypoxia area in the US. The meeting highlighted state led actions and success stories to reduce nutrients across the Mississippi River watershed and ongoing Federal and workgroup efforts.

Dr. Steven Thur, NOAA National Ocean Service Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator and the NOAA representative on the HTF, reported on ongoing NOAA efforts addressing task force needs related to forecasting and monitoring. Dr. Thur also mentioned a new IOOS award to support Autonomous Surface Vehicle (ASV) monitoring for hypoxia and tools to reduce nutrient exports from watersheds.

Logo of the Mississippi River Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force. Credit HTF.