Science Nation - Pacific Dead Zones

Ocean " dead zones " along the Washington and Oregon coasts are threatening critical U.S. fishing areas. These oxygen-depleted regions , that loose virtually all of their marine life in the summer , are expanding , and new ones are appearing in the Pacific Ocean. Oceanographer Jack Barth of Oregon State University says these new ocean dead zones are different from most of the 400+ others known around the world. While the majority of those are caused by excess nutrients in river runoffs , his research is the first to tie these new dead zones to climate change. With support from the National Science Foundation , Bath is also using an impressive new tool , an unmanned underwater glider that provides round the clock monitoring of these zones.