The Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Watch evolved as a cooperative project among the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) National Marine Fisheries Service - NMFS, the National Coastal Data Development Center (NCDDC), and the CoastWatch - Caribbean/Gulf of Mexico - Regional Node.
Hypoxia Watch data was also acquired by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) aboard the R/V BLAZING 7 during the period from July 8-12, 2013. The LDWF stations provided additional insight into the distribution of bottom dissolved oxygen in the area from the Texas-Louisiana border to the Louisiana Bight. Click here for a map showing the LDWF contours and stations. The shapefiles and metadata can also be downloaded here .
Hypoxia Watch Objectives ? Download One-Pager
The objective of Hypoxia Watch is to develop new near-real time data and map products using shipboard measurements of bottom-dissolved oxygen and disseminate them over the Internet.
The data collected from annual Southeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program (SEAMAP) summer groundfish surveys is used to generate products that form the basis for summertime advisories on anoxic and hypoxic conditions in the north-central Gulf of Mexico. For details on the process steps involved in converting dissolved oxygen data into map contours, see Hypoxia Contour Process (1.14 MB).
Hypoxia ? ... a deficiency in oxygen
Hypoxia in aquatic systems refers to waters where the dissolved oxygen concentration is below 2 mg/L. Most organisms avoid, or become physiologically stressed, in waters with oxygen below this concentration. Also known as a dead zone, hypoxia can also kill marine organisms which cannot escape the low-oxygen water, affecting commercial harvests and the health of impacted ecosystems.
- The Problem of Hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico (870 KB)
- The Causes of Hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico (1.76 MB)
- Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Monitoring Implementation Plan (693 KB)
- Ecological Impacts of Hypoxia on Living Resources
- NOAA's National Ocean Service: Hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico