Reviving Deadzones
Dead zones are formed as a direct result from the overflow of nutrients in water, called eutrophication. This happens because high concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus promotes the massive growth of plankton. More plankton helps other organisms grow, making the water overpopulation with life. The overflow of plankton also block sunlight from reaching plants towards the bottom that need it for photosynthesis. Another problem that is brought up is that a high population of plankton will not allow a certain species of plankton to grow as much because the water is too crowded. In the article they use the example of the Dead Sea and how it became a dead zone. Nitrogen entered the sea through runoff from farming practices and phosphorus entered by industrial and urban waste. Deadzones take a very long time to recover for many reasons. Nutrients tends to be captured well into the ground, It can be years or decades before all of the nitrogen or phosphorus is used up. Another important reason is that after a certain amount of time, a keystone species may start to die out. This will cause the ecosystem to change drastically and may make it irreversible.
Dead zones can be fixed through human effort. Governments need to take action and make an effort to help restore these areas. Plans need to be made in order to keep nitrogen and phosphorus on the land and out of water. This will take investments in waste-reduction projects. On top of this effort, fishermen will have to cut down on the catching of fish to allow them to return to the ecosystem as before. Partial recovery can leave the dead zone in a highly unstable situation that can take years before recovery begins again. Full recovery to the previous ecosystem may not always be possible. In the end communities decide what ecosystem is right and what isn't. Some communities will favor only small fish and others will prefer large predatory fish.