The "dead zone" of the Gulf of Mexico | Nancy Rabalais

Ocean expert Nancy Rabalais tracks the ominously named "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico -- where there isn't enough oxygen in the water to support life. The Gulf has the second largest dead zone in the world; on top of killing fish and crustaceans, it's also killing fisheries in these waters. Rabalais tells us about what's causing it -- and how we can reverse its harmful effects and restore one of America's natural treasures.
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[@pmds2024]

Such a very informative talk. Thank you Dr. Rabalais for your efforts, for going above and beyond your responsibility as a scientist - not letting your research findings just be confined in the academic and scientific community but you made ways for these findings to reach the media and policy makers, thereby resulting in ways (or policy making) that help protect and sustain our environment. As a woman of science, I am inspired with what you did and hopefully, I can also make a good impact in the near future with my research.

[@josht9518]

Next on Shark Week... nothing.

[@erikas1572]

So so inspiring, thank you Dr. Rabalais

[@KUBE.archvis]

Thank you for this beautiful talk!

[@chiefonelung3416]

A Wonderful talk. Thanks so much for all your work.

[@hectorbb4225]

I liked this talk and would like to see a follow up on it in the future. It actually got me engaged and curious to learn on the subject. A very important subject and great talk!

[@vikkiledgard8483]

Hurrah for Nancy Rabalaise! What a hero👍❤️❤️❤️

[@LoveAndPeaceOccurs]

Thank You Nancy Rabalais, for your work and your effort. Would have been nice had you included a rate of "dead zone" growth or expansion" also would have been nice if you might have shared any information about any place (on the planet) that has already stopped or reversed this problem. BUT all effort toward resolving this Huge problem is appreciated. Love & Peace to All

[@HomesteadEngineering]

These are a few EASY things I did to save the environment/money: 1. switched from incandescent to LED light bulbs 2. Added additional insulation to attic 3. Put TV's and computers on power strips and turn them off when not in use AND here are some harder things I did: 1. Installed my own solar power system that runs our house 2. built a solar water heater for $40 3. built a solar pool heater AND next I am going to trade my gas guzzling truck for a electric car and drive it for free by charging it with my home solar power. You can save a LOT of money while helping the environment!

[@mhtinla]

Every time I swim I release some gas into the water to help the environment.

[@shlomosilversteinberg5785]

You aren't going to save money until about a decade with solar panels.

[@HomesteadEngineering]

Lorem, Yes, that's about right. So in other words, I'll pay the same as you for 10 years and then all my power will be free.

[@trentonpaul6376]

That payment for solar power is usually a big economic leap. It's hard to simply ease into a solar-powered environment. You're fortunate enough to be able to do that

[@HomesteadEngineering]

blinkafrootable, Yes, that's true. I had to come up with 26k to build my system and then got 8k back on taxes later. Ironically, there are many things in life that are cheaper if you have money. Cheaper power, cheaper housing, cheaper cars and even cheaper food. By "cheaper", I mean that you pay less for the same thing when you have more money.

[@pinchmesh8642]

There's also a BIG problem with herbicides, which are also pesticides, but never tested as such. My guess is they are part of the cause. Concentrations of as little as 0.1 PPB of dursban ( a larvacide) can kill 100% of shrimp larva. That's an undetectable trace.

[@aracelycastilloreyes2958]

Hello, Can I use this video for a documentary I'm doing about Dead Zones? thx

[@Trinhnguyen714]

Can bamboo help if planted at strategical locations? Ie Running bamboo shoots?

[@seanconway1154]

It also doesn't help that almost all of Americas heavy industries are based on the Mississippi River.

[@MrMongo321]

How do you find non-ethanol treated gasoline?

[@innazhurav9622]

To be less consumptive- golden words!

[@DMahalko]

What we need are artificial wetlands and ponds to collect field runoff, and separate the fields and drainage ditches from lakes and rivers. Collect the nitrogen and phosphorus, then respray it back onto the field on the high slope side. In the long run, this saves the farmer money, by capturing and reusing the escaping nutrients.

[@larryloyd2989]

Dale Mahalko ok well your not thinking of all the toxins from vehicle gas and oil and other ones that we would be eating if you reused that water for that purpose. even if they just feed the animals it we would be still eating the animals and still get that stuff in us.

[@georgemcdonald7922]

We need more hurricanes!

[@aashvii27]

Listing to the volume 2 of #1neLeVeLUP he's amazing

[@thatsme8433]

Nice

[@fatimazaim503]

If there's an increase in algal bloom, wouldn't that lead to more oxygen formation, more productivity first? And then later becomes harmful when it dies? Waiting for your reply. Thank you

[@wokemojo703]

Environmental genius. Hopefully her device can reverse what's left of the BP oil crisis in addition to our river pollution. Excellent Talk!

[@carterscustomrods]

John Con Queso I think she is greatly underestimating the level of pollution that the BP spill (and the other unknown spills) and the pollutants run offs have done to the gulf... my backyard.

[@moldoveanu8]

The planet will still be here even if a comet wipes us all out. Humans aren't hurting the planet, they are hurting themselves. I think if we change how we look at the problem we can get more deniers to see that it's a pretty big deal and last time I checked it was illegal to hurt other people directly or indirectly. I guess what I am saying is hold the polluters responsible for their actions as the consequences are for everyone.

[@yvettemeza3384]

Good Question it is important to know

[@gigirlp11]

We can all do our little contribution that will eventually make an impact! I do it and I’m constantly trying to do more thank you for this video! ❤️

[@MrMongo321]

If the Gulf of Mexico has the second largest dead zone, what area has the largest

[@mhtinla]

Outer space... there's no oxygen there

[@tiavor]

Gulf of Oman, almost the entirety of the gulf (63,700-square-miles) is a dead zone.

[@mhtinla]

Tiavor Kuroma You are smarter than me!!

[@alfbeef5880]

The salt content in the Gulf of omen is too high for anything in grow in..

[@floisheremuch]

wikipedia says "The cause is a combination of increased ocean warming, and increased runoff of nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizers" so i guess still farming, oddly enough

[@fatimazaim503]

Why is their a limit to dead one, I mean why does it have a specific size?

[@andreaslassen5304]

1:57 "food web"

[@robertmclennan5310]

Hmm you forgot to mention the human Factor! Southside of Chicago on the Banks of Lake Michigan is the Sanitation and Shipping Canal. It runs into the Illinois River and then the Mississippi River. Every city along the way dumps their influent (liquid from municipal water treatment plants) into the rivers!

[@robertmclennan5310]

The Mississippi River is a Sanitary Canal for semi-treated sludge Northern Cities like Chicago. Red Tide is Man Made!

[@eastgreenlander5016]

Sad.

[@JustOneAsbesto]

Good luck getting Pruitt to do anything.

[@LauraDFTBA]

Couple of months late but, and this comes with a limited knowledge of growing crops, would changing agricultural practices to include companion plants make a difference? Being North America and corn, squash comes to mind from the Native American 'three sisters' planting. Would a companion plant help soak up the excess before it has a chance to reach the water table?

[@reachinghigher4259]

I'm hardly vegetarian or vegan, but I do have a (what I consider to be) low animal-product intake (not counting cheese, butter, & eggs, though I do try to buy those free range, grass fed, cage free, and organic.) There's got to be a point where the shocking amount of waste we generate (ie: throwing food away because we didn't want left-overs, making portions too massive, offering too much food and throwing away what was unpopular, etc) has to impact the amount of food we produce. I think about how many cattle, fish, pork, and poultry we slaughter and process, and then how much of it goes straight into the trash can. I remember reading that some 30% of all food in the USA is thrown away. Imagine 30% less catch, slaughter, or production...if only people didn't buy what they were going to toss anyway, or if portions were smaller.

[@PelczarTomasz]

Balance between natural reproduction and products by our current life within flats and cars is one of the top most important issue for us within the next upcoming 50 years ...

[@funkyanimaltheearloffunkdo1871]

What can the farmers use instead?

[@merelyc]

Her opinion is taking environment to consider, USA's crop is too cheap

[@mikeharrington5593]

Animal manure (regenerative polyculture) and mycorrhizal fungi where crops benefit (not brassicas). There needs to be large scale mycorrhizal powder or pellet production, on a similar scale to fertilizer production.

[@moldoveanu8]

GMO crops that don't need as much fertilizer and water. They are proven safe. But just like anything else people don't understand, there will be those who are afraid to accept it.

[@Dimetropteryx]

Reduce the use of fertilizer, reduce run-off, reduce erosion, increase the minimum distance to waterways. The states around the Baltic Sea have been dealing with this exact same problem for decades now.

[@element74]

how many times did she say dead zone?

[@cornpuffs9621]

Do other schools not teach this in earth science?

[@dannmarceau9743]

I'm no scientist, (my life long friend Dr.Fred Sharpe is) but I studied marine biology, oceanography, as well as environmental science, better act fast or there will be people coming after your food.

[@arthurlevin]

Thank you very educational. What elements of matter can break down the nitrogen and phosphorus in the ocean's dead zone? They are both odd number elements so what even number elements will combine to form a compound element like water one elements of hydrogen an odd number element and two elements of oxygen even number element?

[@a1hardwood]

holy Toledo

[@mhtinla]

"Just plug the damn hole!"

[@mwj5368]

Great ideas we so need, but was saddened as never once did I hear the word, ORGANIC.

[@Pueblomanvideo]

VOTE!!!

[@namialus1376]

At 1.5x speed, she sounds like she’s crying.

[@eleanormattice3598]

Big agri-business needs to fix this problem. They profiting from our loss of fisheries and drinking water. We need regenerative soil practices, not chemical fertilizers.

[@arthurlevin]

What concerns me most about ocean dead zones is the possibility that they will begin to emit high-level of toxic methane gas.

[@bobwelch8317]

Use humate??? 100 percent organic soil supplement that will increase yield by up to ,30 percent.

[@carterscustomrods]

i want to watch this but its boring me for some reason. I love TED Talks but it just seems slow. Ill download it and play it at faster speed once i get home.

[@ManTheManLV255]

MrCarter'sRods it's definitely the talker. She's kind of hard to listen to.

[@gregaaron89]

Unthinkable that we could have a bipartisan environmental bill passed today

[@emerybegaye9413]

She lost me for a second when she mentioned the former governor of New Jersey looking at her and said she "was tired of this thing being called New Jersey. Pick another state any state , I just don't want to hear it anymore" Until I turned on the subtitles and found out she was quoting the former governor.

[@mikapeltokorpi7671]

Elementary. Protective zones of 10 ft to river banks with no farming allowed, better treatment of sewage water. That's it.

[@mhtinla]

Genius!

[@bkbland1626]

Real life is rarely simple.

[@jesuscardona6590]

That's an elementary solution. It takes, less fertilizers, less pesticides, soil preservation, and as well as the waste product from farmed foods. We need to make decisions to be less consumptive. We all as humans need to look at this closely. Thank you

[@JohnS-sl8sk]

Jesus Cardona It’s called the Conservation Reserve Program that is already in place

[@ytSuns26]

She neglected to mention the contribution from Monsanto . Round up ! May prove to be very , very toxic to all forms of life

[@iLoveTurtlesHaha]

She addressed that a change in agriculture is needed - this includes Monsanto, and all parties involved.

[@reypaulino5011]

for being called dead zone has anybody made a Garlic Jr - DBZ joke

[@kerryholbrook1797]

Good luck with getting fish on the other side of the country to change chemicals. Unless they have the same cost and outcome. I live by the beginning of sciota river. Are river is trash. There's barley any fish besides carp and some blue cats, that I've seen. The only time we get bass and bluegill are spawning season. Then you can see a negative difference in river fish compared to quary. I can think of so many ways that would possibly resolve this. But the problem should be fixed where it's starting first.

[@angelo1000r]

“Louisiana America’s Industry Waist Land”

[@lukeboshier]

contain and reduce by lifting fixed carbon levels

[@LeonidasGGG]

"sneaking into Texas" ...like a Mexican? #pun #shotsfired And I don't know how old this woman is, but she is delivering KOs left and right. #og

[@cpt0118]

Pollution has killed the Gulf of Mexico

[@joannot6706]

And people still make fun of vegans.

[@mhtinla]

No... only the vegetarians.

[@joannot6706]

mhtinla You haven't stayed long enough on the internet if you think people don't make fun of vegans.

[@mhtinla]

I'm a carnivore and I don't make fun of vegans. Therefore it must be vegetarians making fun of vegans.

[@goku4117]

What veganism has to do with this "dead zones" issue, exactly? edit: nvm I was still in the middle of the video

[@joannot6706]

Goku I was as surprised as you when I heard that animal agriculture had such a bad impact on environment. They all tell us about cars, planes and all that like one of the biggest threat we face while animal agriculture emits more green house gases than all transportation combined. If you are interested about environmental issues, you may enjoy cowspiracy (which is becoming outdated, things are worst today).

[@matwilliams4608]

To help the fish have 1,000 ships pump air in to dead zone sea before it become a completely dead of all fish , Instead of just talking about it

[@montana_garage]

This talk really highlights how people that eat plants are creating a huge demand for products whose production is causing an environmental catastrophe. Eat responsibly.

[@cudatom9290]

Stop subsidizing corn.

[@a_plus_content8321]

Second ...idk maybe ...I hope

[@a_plus_content8321]

Nvm third

[@xavierdavidlluesma8030]

No meat?

[@AtheistEve]

Javier David Lluesma No eggs and dairy either.

[@xavierdavidlluesma8030]

JE Hoyes I'm already vegan :)

[@muddibat99]

We are dooomed!!! She is awesome but her information is incomplet! 70% of the polution that we make today is due to animal agriculture! The food is beeing procesed in a wrong way, it creats a loot of health isues for people, and the enviorment, she scraped but the surface! The fact that we humans think that we need meat to thrive is not true!!! Its a bad habit like smoeking and drinking boozz till you fall down. Iron, b 12, vitamin proteins come from the plant kingdom. They nurish the people the best, and easyest for the enviorment, wild life, forest and also human health!! The fact that we have to ciccle our food intake trough another being is not needed. A wholesome plant based diet is what the human. Tribes best on. Remember the ocean dead zones, water pollution come from you being a slave to the current sistem. No one wants to plant trees or live with his farm because we city folk we don't know how! Please do some research or ask me personally about this topics. CowSpiracy, what the health and forks over knifes are the best focus to watch go gwet what's happening today! If you don't watch the documentations ask me for more Info's

[@juancarlosmartinez1718]

And this is important because...

[@genericeric0102]

animal agriculture, that's the reason why I'm vegan

[@benc8066]

eric jones i love eating animals

[@dickhamilton3517]

no, agriculture in general, especially in places that are not too fertile to begin with.

[@dickhamilton3517]

don't expect many more years of that.

[@jasona7029]

is all depends, if you water the crops with water unknowingly contaminated? You could potentially be sick too.

[@dickhamilton3517]

I certainly will, cereal murtherer - I lost my sense of smell, and so, most of my sense of taste, a couple years ago and can really only get salt, sweet, and sour. Eating is no fun, a chore, so I've lost a fair bit of weight. However, it means that when the Great Hunger comes, I'm used to less food and might last a bit longer than those around me. Then I can eat them.

[@joanosman8312]

OK

[@hectorbb4225]

JOAN OSMAN I saw you praising the girl in yesterdays talk (the one with the useless inventions) and this talk, an actual good and informative talk, gets just an irrelevant comment? OK

[@joanosman8312]

Héctor BuBa Do you know me?

[@hectorbb4225]

LOL Aviri... I just disliked how much support the weird girl in yesterday's upload got in contrast with the support I see here. Now, don't get me wrong, I see some positivity. Just not as much. I mean... Definitely got way ahead of myself, I get that, but still... Isn't it kind of annoying for you? They keep uploading weird talks and the ones that actually try to objectively and quantifiably to improve the world just get buried under the pretty girl with the "useless inventions"

[@mhtinla]

I see it as a bad pick-up line. Don't be too serious.

[@captainandthelady]

I agree with what she says but we need those chemicals to grow food to feed the world. So, I'd say that the primary problem is over population. Lower the population and you'll lower the need to grow food. Then you'll need less chemicals.

[@MIKOOL13]

You first.

[@captainandthelady]

@@MIKOOL13 Not to worry. I married a widow with two kids and we decided not to have any our selves... not for a lack of trying mind you😁.

[@AtheistEve]

My mini-steps are: being vegan; not having kids; not flying for fun; car-sharing; not buying superfluous rubbish; recycling and composting everything I can.

[@ps200306]

America's problem is not too many kids. It has an incredibly low population density compared to many other countries. The problem is both kids and adults consuming too much stuff.

[@fatimazaim503]

Why many phytoplankton die?

[@heyitsmemarcus2082]

first

[@barekomaba4383]

Dead zone I thought that wasn't canon. Where my dragon ball z fans at

[@reroman3950]

All the likes are from Leviathans

[@AgitatingBastard]

If you want to convince farmers first you need to be able to understand agriculture. Many environmentalists do not understand the basics of farming crops or livestock and make obvious (to an agriculturalist or farmer). I would also include environmental scientists with no cross disciplinary education. For example she mentioned perennial wheat crops as an an alternative. Thats embarrassing as there is no perennial wheat as a viable commercial crop (research into developing that crop has been going on but all have failed in commercial application, e.g yields 1/3 that of conventional). She briefly mentions targeted fertiliser, which is leaping ahead. As for "not feeding the world", all bar ethanol she lists are food. Bizarrely being proud of not using ethanol (instead using more fossil fuels) is counter productive for our oceans as it only increases the rate of climate change. Not using a oil with one of the highest production per hectare meaning more land must be converted to oil crops (palm oil is great yea?) is equally counter productive. As an agriculturalist with an environmental background, I can tell you farmers and agricultural scientists are doing far more in a day then all her suggestions will do. They are trying much harder to "translate scientific research into the real world" than these suggestions or lobbying. But you'll never hear a TEDtalk about it (and no before someone says neither Savory or Salatin are what I'd consider significant in this area)

[@SoulJiuJitsu]

As a nation, we throw away over 35 million tons of food every year, much of it meat. Maybe we just need to properly adjust the supply.

[@RawDoggg]

Going vegan is a good place to start

[@davidmeehan4486]

You know, I think integrating animal and plant agriculture, and managing runoff is going to be the way forward. I agree that we should consume less anormal products, and good for you for all you're doing. I just don't think we should be as absolute as to go vegan.

[@alia4976]

Yet so much food grown here is gone to waste =/ ....Americans

[@3tapsnu0ut87]

"we can do better than this" . . . we sure can! Back in the day we used to FIX THINGS! Try and find a small appliance repair shop now. If you do . . . you may well hear "it's cheaper to buy another one" . . . . . . OH REALLY!!!!!!! Taking the profit out of capitalism and replacing it with equal value would put all the world's super rich into bankruptcy immediately.

[@ratatataraxia]

You mean Corpus Christi?

[@drzoidberg844]

Mark Nicholson what?

[@johnnybunch1849]

Cut the River s off gulf of Mexico

[@youj252]

Well if there wasent 7 billion people we would not need so many farms

[@peggyharris3815]

youj252 ...YOU could help the cause...leave. (YOU are part of the 7b.) When YOU want to reduce the population to make the world more pleasant for YOU by eliminating others...know this: they want to eliminate YOU as well. Namaste baby.

[@mhtinla]

Peggy Harris Nobody wants to eliminate the other 6,999,999,999 population. We just want to neuter them.

[@peggyharris3815]

mhtinla ...lol. Well...ok. I have helped with that one, married, no children.

[@mhtinla]

Peggy Harris You can have one and still be helpful.

[@SamTheMan]

How can you say it is not natural when it is caused by human activity!?!?! Do you not understand the definition of the word natural??? ARE WE UNNATURAL!?!?!

[@aaronrosenberg6633]

Good point. Not the best word choice, but she only meant "caused by human activity."