Informational Articals - Gulfs - Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico is considered to be the largest gulf area in the world and the 9th largest body of water in the world. It encompasses a total of 600,000 square miles. The Gulf of Mexico extends from Mexico along the Southern coast of the United States and on into Cuba. This is a popular area for fishing expeditions both commercially and recreationally.

However even though this gulf is very large the amount of aquatic life found here is very low. Researchers have determined this is due to the lack of oxygen found in the waters along the Gulf of Mexico. The lack of oxygen, known as hypoxia, is the result of too much algae being allowed to grow in the waters.

The amount of the Gulf of Mexico that has been affected by hypoxia continue to grow as time passed. There isn’t any known way to prevent or slow the growth of the algae found there. This continues to be a concern because the Gulf of Mexico merges with the Atlantic Ocean, and the Caribbean Sea. If the issue of hypoxia reaches those areas it will significantly impact the balance of ecosystems in the bodies of water around the world.

It is believed the issue of hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico is mainly due to high levels of pollution. Removing these elements can significantly improve the quality of the Gulf of Mexico, but not without shutting down major factories and restricting ships in the area. This just isn’t possible and so the problem continues. There is an abundance of nitrogen and phosphates found in the Gulf of Mexico though. This can cause respiratory problems for both humans and domestic animals in the areas most affected, especially around the Florida area.

Many of the areas of the Gulf of Mexico are used for producing almost two billion pounds of seafood annually. Commercial fishing boats can be found in various areas along the Gulf of Mexico that have not yet been affected by hypoxia. Between this and recreational fishing the Gulf of Mexico generates more than $900 million dollars in revenue annually. The Gulf of Mexico is also a location where barrels of oil are extracted daily.