The Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force held its 37th annual meeting in December to review ongoing actions to improve water quality in the Mississippi River basin and to discuss new funding made available by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In June 2022, the EPA announced $60 million over the next five years to fund nutrient reduction efforts through the Gulf Hypoxia Program.

NOAA research has shown that large reductions in nutrients will be necessary to reduce the size of the summer "dead zone" off the coast of Louisiana and Texas, an area of low oxygen (hypoxia) that cannot support marine life and the largest such area in the U.S.

Excess nutrients that run off land or are piped as wastewater into rivers and coasts can stimulate an overgrowth of algae, which then sinks and decomposes in the water. The decomposition process consumes oxygen and depletes the supply available to healthy marine life.

The task force — composed of five federal agencies, 12 states, and one tribal member — provides executive level direction for scientific activities and actions on nutrient management within the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed. NCCOS serves as NOAA's representative to the task force and provides critical support for research, monitoring, and forecasting needed to evaluate progress toward reducing the annual size of the dead zone and determining impacts to valuable Gulf of Mexico fishery resources.

Attendees of the 37th Annual Hypoxia Task Force Meeting, including NCCOS participants Margo Schulze-Haugen and David Scheurer. Credit: Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force.