Massive ocean DIE OFF foreshadows the era of global human population collapse
by: Vicki Batts
NaturalNews.com
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
The oceans of Earth have been home to countless creatures over the course of the planet’s lifetime. But the once-friendly bodies of water that stretch between continents have grown inhospitable for many of its former residents, and as such, an unprecedented amount of ocean life die-off is occurring.
The destruction of Earth’s oceans and the marine life that inhabits them is nothing short of devastating, and if the human race is not careful, we too may live to see our species’ light go out, so to speak. Indeed, a collapse of magnanimous proportions could be on the horizon.
Dead ocean zones have been growing at a concerning pace for years. In 2015, dead zones reportedly accounted for 10 percent of the world’s ocean area, and that number is constantly on the rise.
Dead zones in the ocean refer to areas where the oxygen levels in the water have grown too depleted to support life. Agrochemical and fertilizer run-off, overfishing and the seeping of toxic heavy metals and radioactive material into the oceans all play a substantial role in the growth and proliferation of dead ocean zones.
In 2008, nearly the entire east and south coasts of the United States were littered with dead zones. And as Scientific American reports, in 2008, there were 405 known ocean dead zones worldwide — up from just 49 in the 1960s.
Sea floors have reportedly taken about 1,000 years to recover from past eras of low oxygen, and only a few dead zones are known to have had quick rebounds from the devastation it brings. The Black Sea, for instance, sprung back to life quite quickly after the collapse of the Soviet Union — which came with a substantial reduction in fertilizer run-off.
Fertilizer run-off is a significant problem in ocean waters. The chemicals may not be helping crops grow faster, but they do feed massive algae blooms on the water’s surface. As the blooms die and sink to the ocean floor, they are feasted upon by microbes — which take up oxygen in the process. And the more algae there is, the more oxygen is being taken up by microbes. In turn, this reduces the amount of oxygen available to other species. This results in the fleeing of fish, crustaceans and other mobile sea creatures. Those that are immobile, such as clams, are sadly left to succumb to the oxygen-deprived waters.
As the oxygen depletion continues, soon only microbes that are able to thrive in the low oxygen environment will survive. As they take over, they form expansive bacterial “mats” which are known for producing a toxic gas, hydrogen sulfide.
Marine biologist Robert Diaz explains, “The primary culprit in marine environments is nitrogen and, nowadays, the biggest contributor of nitrogen to marine systems is agriculture. It’s the same scenario all over the world.”
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