Name: ______________________________________ Date: ___________________

Dead Zone Transfer Task (100pts)

While some marine life, like turtles, whales, and dolphins, breathe oxygen from the atmosphere, others like
fish and shrimp use gills to process oxygen that has dissolved in water, known as dissolved oxygen. Low
dissolved oxygen can create "dead zones" where aquatic life dies or leaves. Worldwide, dead zones are now
10 times more common than 50 years ago. In the U.S., their frequency has increased 30 times since 1960.
The second-largest dead zone occurs every spring in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Gulf of Mexico is bordered by U.S. and Mexican states. The dead zone
happens every year and is concentrated in the northern part of the Gulf.
This region is an important part of the marine ecosystem and has cultural,
recreational, and economic value to humans. The region affected by the
dead zone produces a large percentage of fish and shrimp consumed in the
U.S. Many fishers and shrimpers are immigrants, including refugees who
came to Louisiana during the Vietnam War. Others, including members of
the Houma tribe, are indigenous to the Gulf Coast.

“I always had a passion for shrimping. I always loved the Gulf. For some
reason when I do this, I feel like I belong there. [The dead zone] is not
good. We can only do so much and ask for [God's] blessing. He'll take care
of the rest.”

Tuan Tran, Vietnamese shrimper in Port Arthur, Texas

“Sometimes we’ll get thousands of pounds of shrimp a day, then the next
day everything’s gone. When the dead zone comes, it just kills everything.”

Dean Blanchard, 4th generation Creole shrimper

Reducing the dead zone's size is a goal of many interest holders.

In this task you will:
● Figure out the cause of the abrupt decline in oxygen in the Gulf of Mexico and the resulting dead
zone.
● Provide an evidence-based suggestion for reducing the dead zone's size.
Part 1: What’s going on with dissolved oxygen in the Gulf? [ ___/3 Rubric]
1. Which process do you think causes the drop in dissolved oxygen? (5pts)

Prior to examining data, use your understanding of photosynthesis and cellular respiration to develop an
initial model. Explain your reasoning with pictures or words.(10pts)

2. To better understand the dead zone phenomenon, scientists have been monitoring dissolved oxygen
levels in the Gulf of Mexico. The data in Figure 1 show dissolved oxygen in the Gulf throughout the
month of May. Typically, ocean fish and shrimp require dissolved oxygen levels above 3 mg/L to
survive.

Date Ranges: May 1-7, May 8-23, May 24-31

Refer to the graph and note dates when:
a.When is dissolved oxygen above 3 mg / L? (3pts)

b. When is dissolved oxygen below 3 mg / L? (3pts)

c. What dates do you predict there are more fish and shrimp? (3pts)

d. What dates do you predict fish and shrimp start to die or leave? (3pts)

e. What dates do you predict higher numbers of aquatic plants and organisms using photosynthesis?
(3pts)

f. What dates do you predict fewer numbers of aquatic plants and organisms using photosynthesis?
(3pts)

g. When do you predict there is more carbon dioxide in the water? (3pts)

h. When do you predict there is less carbon dioxide in the water? (3pts)

Part 2: How does oxygen dissolve into water?

There are two main ways oxygen gets dissolved in water. The first occurs when air mixes with water. More
oxygen gets mixed in when the water is moving around a lot, when waves crash, or when water flows over
rocks.
The second way oxygen gets into water is when it is released by producers
such as underwater plants or other aquatic life that use photosynthesis.
Phytoplankton are single-celled organisms that add oxygen to water in this
way, through photosynthesis.
 3. What do you think typically happens to the phytoplankton population in the spring, when solar
energy to the Gulf of Mexico region increases after winter? (4pts)
a. Increase
b. Decrease
c. Stay the same
d. Insufficient information

4. How would this affect the concentration of dissolved oxygen and dissolved carbon dioxide in
water? (4)
a. Increase oxygen concentration; decrease carbon dioxide concentration
b. Decrease oxygen concentration; increase carbon dioxide concentration
c. Stay the same
d. Insufficient information

Although some natural factors increase spring oxygen levels, big oxygen increases followed by a steep
decrease, and a rising number of dead zones in recent decades suggest human influence.

Spraying corn with liquid fertilizer Mississippi River Watershed

In the late 1940s, following the end of World War II, U.S. farmers and industries began widespread use of
synthetic fertilizers. The fertilizer supplies nitrogen for chlorophyll, the pigment that makes plants and
phytoplanktons green and aids energy production through photosynthesis. Water runoff from these fields
carries nutrients to the Mississippi River and then to the Gulf of Mexico.
 5. Which of the following could explain the big increases in dissolved oxygen observed in the first half
of May? (4pts)

Fertilizer runoff:
a. Causes phytoplankton population
to decrease because too much
fertilizer can harm plants.
b. Causes dead zones, where fish and
shrimp suddenly die, because
fertilizer is toxic to them.
c. Causes phytoplankton population
to increase more than usual
because in addition to more sunlight, the phytoplankton have more nutrients.
Part 3: What is responsible for the drop in dissolved oxygen?
We have traced the source of increases to dissolved oxygen but have not yet figured out where all the oxygen
went to cause the dead zone.

6. Each phytoplankton only lives a few days. When they die, they sink to the bottom, where they are
decomposed by bacteria. As more and more phytoplankton die and fall to the bottom, what do you expect
happens to bacteria populations? (4pts)
a. Increase
b. Decrease
c. Stay the same
d. Insufficient information
7. What process do decomposers use to rearrange matter and transfer energy? (4pts)
a. Photosynthesis
b. Cellular respiration

8. How do decomposing phytoplankton help explain what happened to dissolved oxygen between May
15th and 31st? (11pts)
9. Put the pieces together. What causes low dissolved oxygen and the resulting dead zone? Where does
that oxygen go? Create a revised model below using pictures and/or words. Be sure to include:
● The steps leading to low dissolved oxygen (O2) and dead zones.
○ The roles of phytoplankton and bacteria. (6pts)
■ Photosynthesis/Cellular Respiration
○ The inputs and outputs of photosynthesis and cellular respiration (include the flow of both
matter and energy). (6pts)
■ Oxygen, carbon dioxide, water, glucose, ATP, Solar energy
○ The role of the Sun and excess nitrogen in the water. (6pts)
■ Fertilizer runoff
○ The effect of low oxygen on shrimp and fish and why this is the effect. (6pts)
○ Where the dissolved oxygen went and how it got there. (6pts)
Your model can be:
● Explained visually through illustrations with labels.
● Explained in writing.
● Explained through speaking.
Choose your preference and let your teacher know. If you are writing or creating an illustration, use the space

below. [ ___/3 Rubric] (30pts)

To get you started here is an outline