"Researchers from the Chesapeake Bay Program, the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, University of Michigan and U.S. Geological Survey announced today that they are predicting this summer’s dead zone to be smaller than the long-term average taken between 1985 and 2021. This is due to the below average amount of water entering the Bay from the watershed’s tributaries this past spring, as well as decreased nutrient and sediment pollution from jurisdictions within the watershed.

Areas of low oxygen, also known as hypoxic regions, are often considered to have dissolved oxygen concentrations less than 2 mg/L (milligrams per liter) and are primarily caused by excess nutrient pollution flowing into the Bay. These regions can result in the loss of habitat for various types of marine life, including fish, blue crabs, oysters and underwater grasses.

Compared to the previous 36 years, this year’s Chesapeake Bay hypoxic volume, or “dead zone”, is predicted to be 13% lower than average. This is similar to last year, when the hypoxic volume was predicted to be 14% lower than the average. For the past three years, the dead zone has been forecasted to be lower than the long-term average—and in all cases, the forecasts proved accurate when compared to data collected throughout the summer. . ."