© NASA Earth Observatory
Example of an ocean eddy (not from the study) as seen from space.
Example of an ocean eddy (not from the study) as seen from space.
Zones depleted of oxygen do exist in nature and have previously been discovered along populated coastal areas off the eastern and southern coasts of the United States and the Baltic Sea. But this is the first time such a place has been observed in the open ocean.
In a paper published in the journal Biogeosciences, researchers outline the existence of pockets of low-oxygenated patches of water in the Atlantic Ocean.
They are vast - sometimes 100 square miles in size. They travel constantly and are also seasonal. One of the biggest ever discovered forms each year in the Gulf of Mexico.
What makes these things tick is a hodge-podge of nutrients and microbes delivered from elsewhere. It's a cyclical process: the nutrients are food for algae blooms, which in turn get devoured by microorganism. This creates waste, which is then eaten by other microbes. This process uses up a lot of oxygen, creating oxygen-free pockets.
Comment: See also this sample of recent reports of coyote attacks on dogs:
Coyote fights 2 large dogs in back yard in Pinellas, Florida
Coyotes seen attacking large dogs in Stamford, Connecticut
More 'rare' urban coyote attacks on Indiana dogs
Spike in coyote attacks on animal pets in Claremont, California
Coyotes killing pets in Seal Beach, California