Baltic Sea Dead Zones

Dead sea beds, or 'dead zones', are often caused by high level of chemical nutrients in the water.

Another name for it is eutrophication. The nutrients make it easier for algal blooms to occur and when such algae die off, they use oxygen to decompose. If too much oxygen is used up, marine life cannot survive there. Hence, a dead zone.

Chemical fertilizers used in agriculture is considered the prime cause of eutrophication. Runoff from sewage, urban land use and other fertilizers can also contribute.

According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), seven of the ten world's largest marine dead zones are located in the Baltic Sea.

Learn more about Marine Dead Zones:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_zone_(ecology)

http://www.savethesea.org/STS%20dead%20zones.htm

http://www.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/baltic/?uNewsID=136602

http://assets.panda.org/downloads/wwf_breathless_coastal_seas_engl.pdf

Here's a map of Baltic Sea Oxygen levels (The Baltic Sea Portal, August 2008):

http://www.fimr.fi/en/ajankohtaista/mtl_uutisarkisto/2008/en_GB/combine3/_files/79977463771302765/
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