Scientists fear "dead zone" off Sonoma coast

I saw this article in the Press Democrat today.

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20131205/articles/131209727


It raised some questions for me so I e-mailed the bodega Marine Lab scientist that is quoted in the article.

Hello Mr. Largier,

My name is Joshua Russo. I'd like to ask you a couple of follow up questions regarding the article today in the Press Democrat. I'll keep it brief.

-In the article you're noted as saying that low oxygen levels near shore have never been recorded in the area until this year.
-How long have you been monitoring the near shore oxygen levels in the areas that now register as low?

-The article states that you don't know how far it extends but you suspect that it extends throughout Sonoma and Mendocino Counties.
-What is this suspicion based on?

-Do you know if "dead zones" are a new phenomenon or how long they've been happening worldwide?

Thank you for your time,
Joshua Russo

This is the response.

Hello Joshua,


We have only had a continuous recorder on the bottom of the mooring this year (but have surface data from last year). The comment is based on the countless depth-profile data that we have collected over the last 15 years … I am taking a deeper look at that now to see if there is any sign of earlier events (even trying to find older data, during previous cold PDO phase).


The spatial extent is expected because the same water upwells along the coast of northern California - in fact, there are some data off Trinidad/Eureka that seem to corroborate this idea - again, working on it.


Hypoxia is natural and I expect that there were "mortality events" in different places and at different times, but there is definitely and increase in river-outflow, nutrient-driven zones like off the Mississippi River and it appears that may also be an increase in the upwelling of low-oxygen waters due to climate change (two different things).


Hope this helps,
John

The link to newspaper not working? Needs subscrption?
Maybe cut and paste article??

Try this link .. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20131205/articles/131209727

-Allen

meh, our dead zone is way bigger.

http://gulfhypoxia.net/

meh, our dead zone is way bigger.

http://gulfhypoxia.net/

And yet all I hear about the gulf is how many fish there are. Perhaps this reporter should have titled his article, "scientist monitor ocean oxygen levels in Sonoma and find nothing unusual."

The reporter doesn't always get to select the title...

And yet all I hear about the gulf is how many fish there are. Perhaps this reporter should have titled his article, "scientist monitor ocean oxygen levels in Sonoma and find nothing unusual."

LOL, perhaps

This some day will be spun into a, Save the marine life for future generations. And when I hear that I want to ask which generation and who in that generation. We already have places that only the privileged can go camp and leaves you out. But you will pay for it in your taxes. That place was put in save the condors for generations. but we can't go in those areas to fish or spend the night. But there are a few cronies that get to.