At the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico in the U.S. as a result of human activity this summer was formed area of about 13 thousand sq. km, within which water is too little oxygen to the marine life. To such conclusion scientists from University of Louisiana, which were on Tuesday published in the media.

According to ecologists, the bottom site, its size is approximately equal to the American state of Connecticut, almost completely overgrown with algae that consume nearly all the oxygen in the water, making it unfit for life shrimp and fish. The reason for this is that in the vast farms, located near the banks of the intensive use of powerful chemical fertilizers that rains and rivers drain into the Bay. This creates very favorable conditions for benthic vegetation.

This phenomenon, as pointed out by the researchers, takes place almost every summer. This year's "dead zone" somewhat less than in previous decades. So, in 2002 it reached 21 thousand sq. km, which is approximately equal to the area of Massachusetts.

"This is the brightest example of how we abuse our available resources," said ecologist from the University of Louisiana gene Turner.

Currently, the "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico is the second largest square in the world. The first place belongs overgrown with algae area of the seabed in the Baltic sea near the coast of Finland. In the world there are more than 550 places where occur periodically similar phenomena. Their number is constantly growing.