(Houston, TX)  —  The Gulf of Mexico is reportedly headed for one of its biggest recorded “dead zones” next month.

A “dead zone” is part of a body of water that doesn’t contain enough oxygen to support sea life.  It’s caused by runoff from fertilized agricultural fields into the Mississippi River, which carries it to the Gulf.  Researchers at Louisiana State University say this year’s dead zone off the Texas and Louisiana coasts will be more than 87-hundred square miles.

The largest ever recorded was nearly 88-hundred square miles.

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photo credit: © Texas Parks and Wildlife Department