Nearly 300 dead bottlenose dolphin – three times as many as normal – have washed up on the beaches of the Gulf Coast this year. While scientists can not explain the sudden increase, at least have some theories. Since February 282 Bottlenose dolphins marine mammal scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in four states were in varying degrees of death and decay, according to Erin Fougeres, he found. Mississippi has the largest number of dead dolphins, with Louisiana, Florida and Alabama saw wheel. The NOAA said the phenomenon of an “unusual mortality event” or UME, which means that the number of dead dolphins enough to warrant an official response alarming. A UME was declared last in the area after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010; the statement taken in July 2014 outside experts have been working with NOAA to factors such as unusually large amounts of rain and snow south downloaded this winter and noted the ongoing impact of the Deepwater Horizon spill as possible causes. “We know that this is winter feuchtesten in the Mississippi Valley in 124 years,” said Fougeres TIME. Heavy rain can reduce the salinity in the Gulf, spell trouble for dolphins saltwater. (Porpoises are a saltwater species.) After Fougeres, only about a quarter of the dead dolphins had “lesions on the skin which is the freshwater Online Exposure.” Although it is not uncommon for such injuries on dolphins this time of year, turns out are the pure number Fougeres and his colleagues were concerned, he said. Fougeres is also considering other environmental factors that may contribute to dolphin mortality in the Gulf of Mexico, including a “hypoxic zone” the size of Massachusetts that NOAA is predicting in the Gulf earlier this month. These zones occur when excess nutrients from agriculture and human activities contaminate the waters and their oxygen levels decrease – Scientists have called them “dead zones” that choke and kill marine life. NOAA believes that the dead zone this area for years to be 7,829 square miles. That is more than 2,000 miles above its five-year average and close to the 2017 record size of 8,776 square miles. While Fougeres not know if these ‘dead zones’ directly affect the dolphins, they think it might affect the availability of their food supply. The stretch of golf, where the dolphins were found is also influenced the area most directly by the spill of the Deepwater Horizon. may currently four million polluted the Gulf oil barrels for more than 87 days before the spill was contained and Fougeres suggests that the dolphin never experienced population area “some adverse health ongoing and persistent”, they are more prone to do Environmental stressors and diseases, such as lung and adrenal diseases. (The diagnosis has dismantled many of the dolphins expect a challenge that NOAA should be confirmed for the complete autopsy report, that dolphins die.) These highly intelligent mammals have had a difficult year in other parts of the world as well. 1000 dolphins washed mutilated last March on the coast of France to the top; He was believed to have been killed by commercial fishing. Fougeres urges those who encounter a dolphin stranded, sick or dead or other seafood, the stranding network at 1-877-WAL-help. contact image rights by the Institute for the Study of Marine Mammals
The dolphins are washing died at a disturbing pace this year – and scientists do not know why
