What's causing low oxygen levels in the Mississippi river?
What's causing low oxygen levels in the Mississippi river? As dead algae decompose, oxygen is consumed in the process, resulting in low levels of oxygen in the water. The hypoxic zone in the Gulf of Mexico forms every summer and is a result of excess nutrients from the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River and seasonal stratification (layering) of waters in the Gulf.
Why is the Mississippi river so low this year?
The 2,340-mile-long Mississippi River is so low from hot, dry weather just a few months after severe floods helped replenish it from critically low water levels last year.