LSU graduate students know that research can be a hands-on experience. Recently, Celeste Lanclos returned from a research cruise in the Gulf of Mexico led by LSU professor Dr. Nancy Rabalais to map out the hypoxic zone, also known as the dead zone, in the Gulf of Mexico.
A dead zone is caused when an excess of nutrients pours into a body of water, which causes a boom in the algae population. When these algae die, bacteria consume them, eating up massive amounts of oxygen in the process. If the water source flowing into the body of water is not salt water, it will be more dense and sink to the bottom.
The research team found that the dead zone this year is the biggest it has ever been in the 30+ years that it has been measured by LSU researchers. Pollution may be a major cause of this, as excess fertilizer and other pollutants that wash into the Mississippi River can worsen the algae boom and make the hypoxic region bigger. 
When any fishes or crustaceans find themselves in a dead zone and are unable to escape, they will quickly perish. If the dead zone continues to worsen, the Gulf of Mexico may be looking at a massive die-off of marine life. This could have an impact on the Louisiana seafood industry, a backbone of our economy, in the coming years.
LSU researchers are working hard to find a solution. Soon, they hope to be able to find a way to make sure the dead zone shrinks, or at the very least, does not increase in size.