The Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Watch maps near real-time bottom dissolved oxygen data to monitor hypoxic conditions in the Gulf of Mexico. Data is collected during the NOAA Fisheries annual Summer Groundfish Survey, which evaluates the population and health of commercially important shrimp, fish, and other marine organisms relative to environmental conditions in the Gulf as part of the Southeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program (SEAMAP), a federal, state, and university cooperative. Oxygen data from the survey are used to generate products that provide updates on hypoxic conditions in the Gulf.
Resources
Archived Data
What is Hypoxia?
Hypoxia occurs when oxygen levels in a body of water become too low to support marine life. Hypoxia can devastate aquatic ecosystems by driving away fish, invertebrates, and mammals, and killing or weakening organisms that can’t relocate quickly.
The largest hypoxic zone in U.S. coastal waters—and second largest in the world—is located in the northern Gulf of Mexico on the Louisiana/Mississippi continental shelf, impacting an area about the size of the state of New Jersey. While hypoxia can occur naturally, there is strong evidence that nutrient pollution caused by runoff from industry and agriculture within the Mississippi River watershed significantly contribute to its presence in the Gulf.
Resources
- The Problem of Hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico
- The Causes of Hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico
- Hypoxia Watch Handout
- Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Monitoring Implementation Plan
- Hypoxia Task Force 2019 Report to Congress
- NOAA's National Ocean Service: Hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico
- Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON) Hypoxia Research
Organizations
- NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
- Southeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program (SEAMAP)
- Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF)
- Northern Gulf Institute's Cooperative for Gulf Hypoxia
About the Survey
This predetermined, stratified random survey samples fish and invertebrates using trawls or bongo and neuston nets, and deploys an environmental profiler to measure water temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, fluorescence, and transmittance continuously from the surface to the sea floor. Samples and data are collected from stations located east of the Mississippi River and in the area between the 10 and 200 m isobaths from Brownsville, Texas eastward to the Florida Panhandle.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Summer Groundfish Cruise did not sail in 2020. In 2022, the Oregon II was not in operation.
Current Cruise Details
Last Update: April 30, 2024
CRUISE SCHEDULE UPDATE
| Leg 1: Pascagoula, MS to Galveston, TX | |
|---|---|
| CTD Data Acquisition | Planned Map Release |
| June 1 - 5 | June 7 |
| June 6 - 10 | June 12 |
| June 11 - 15 | June 17 |
| Leg 2: Galveston, TX to Pascagoula, MS | |
|---|---|
| CTD Data Acquisition | Planned Map Release |
| June 18 - 20 | June 21 |
| June 21 - 24 | June 25 |
| June 25 - 28 | July 1 |
| June 29 – July 2 | July 4 |
| Leg 3: Pascagoula, MS to Pascagoula, MS | |
|---|---|
| CTD Data Acquisition | Planned Map Release |
| July 6 - 9 | July 10 |
| July 10 - 13 | July 15 |
| July 14 - 16 | July 18 |
