Revision as of 20:12, 22 October 2009 edit Jgoodlove (talk \| contribs) 65 edits No edit summary ← Previous edit		Revision as of 18:13, 25 October 2009 edit undo Jgoodlove (talk \| contribs) 65 edits No edit summary Next edit →
Line 4: == Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force == The Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force undertakes the challenge of eliminating the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico as well as promoting the implementation of new farming practices and nutrient runoff management. The Mississippi River dumps high nutrient runoff from the vast drainage basin into the Gulf of Mexico causing an outbreak of algae growth. The excess algae create an area where the dissolved oxygen concentration is very low in the bottom waters. Many organisms cannot tolerate low-oxygen levels and either leave the area or become weakened or die from lack of oxygen. A majority of the nutrient loadings originate from the draining of agricultural lands north of the Ohio River in the states of Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, southern Minnesota, and Ohio. === 2001 Action Plan=== The 2001 Action Plan is a national strategy to reduce Gulf hypoxia with a focus on reducing the nitrogen and phosphorus nutrient loads to the northern Gulf coming from the Mississippi River. The Action Plan proposes three goals: a ~~coastal~~Coastal ~~goal~~Goal, a ~~within~~Within Basin ~~goal~~Goal, and a Quality of Life Goal. The Coastal ~~goal~~Goal ~~proposes~~intends to reduce the square mileage of hypoxia in the Gulf to 5,000 square kilometers by the implementation of actions to reduce the discharge of nutrients into the Gulf. The Within Basin goal is to restore and protect the waters of the Mississippi River Basin by implementing nutrient and sedimentation reduction actions that will protect human health and ~~protect~~ aquatic organisms and reduce the nutrient load released into the Gulf. Lastly, the Quality of Life Goal is to improve communities across the Mississippi River Basin through land management and an incentive based approach.▼ ▲The 2001 Action Plan is a national strategy to reduce Gulf hypoxia with a focus on reducing the nitrogen and phosphorus loads to the northern Gulf coming from the Mississippi River. The Action Plan proposes three goals: a coastal goal, a within Basin goal, and a Quality of Life Goal. The Coastal goal proposes to reduce the square mileage of hypoxia in the Gulf to 5,000 square kilometers by the implementation of actions to reduce the discharge of nutrients into the Gulf. The Within Basin goal is to restore and protect the waters of the Mississippi River Basin by implementing nutrient and sedimentation reduction actions that will protect human health and protect aquatic organisms and reduce the nutrient load released into the Gulf. Lastly, the Quality of Life Goal is to improve communities across the Mississippi River Basin through land management and an incentive based approach. A dead zone 22126 square kilometers in area in the Gulf of Mexico US streams and rivers that drain 40% of the US empty the nutrient filled waters into the Mississippi River. Mississippi River dumps high nutrient runoff from the vast drainage basin into the Gulf of Mexico. Low oxygen levels are created that cannot support life. Main nutrients: phosphorus and nitrogen Nutrients encourage plant growth (algae in the Gulf of Mexico) == Upper Mississippi River Initiative == * Upper Mississippi River Basin is a sub basin of the entire Mississippi River Basin

User:Jgoodlove/Mississippi River Watershed Conservation: Difference between revisions