[Mike]

from caraway –
“The oxygen-starved “dead zone” along the Pacific Coast that is
causing massive crab and fish die-offs is worse than initially
thought, scientists said.

Weather, not pollution, appears to be the culprit, scientists said,
and no relief is in sight……

Oregon State University scientists looking for weather changes that
could reverse the situation aren’t finding them. They say levels of
dissolved oxygen critical to marine life are the lowest since the
first dead zone was identified in 2002. It has returned every year.

Strong upwelling winds pushed a low-oxygen pool of deep water toward
shore, suffocating marine life, said Jane Lubchenco, a professor of
marine biology at OSU.”