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The Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium Receives $88,474 to Reduce the Gulf Hypoxic Zone

Release Date: 08/04/2014
Contact Information: Danielle Jackson, (404) 562-9182 (Direct), (404) 562-8400 (Main), Jackson.Danielle@epa.gov

Stennis Space Center, MS – The Gulf of Mexico Program recently announced that the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON) has received an $88,474 cooperative agreement for the project “Vessel Supplemental Support for 2014 Shelf wide Hypoxia Cruise.” Dr. Nancy Rabalais, Executive Director and Professor of LUMCON, will provide the leadership for this project.

This cooperative agreement will further the strategic goals and objectives of Gulf of Mexico Program and lead to a healthy and prosperous ecosystem.

Ben Scaggs, Director of the U.S. EPA Gulf of Mexico Program said “The Gulf of Mexico Program is committed to supporting our partners in addressing our mutual goals of improving, protecting and restoring the health and productivity of the Gulf of Mexico. We look forward to the sustainable environmental results that will be accomplished through this cooperative agreement with the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium.”

"The supplemental funding provided by the Gulf of Mexico Program in support of the summer 2014 shelf wide hypoxia cruise will enable the 30th such cruise to be completed," said Dr. Rabalais, chief scientist. The mostly NOAA-funded research programs have conducted many such cruises over the years in support of better understanding the dynamics of hypoxia on the north-central Gulf coast adjacent to the discharge of fresh water and nutrients from the Mississippi River, and in support of the management plans of the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force (Hypoxia Task Force). Dr. Rabalais added, "A 30-year record of any environmental baseline is rare, and the Gulf of Mexico Program's support makes this a reality."

The Vessel Supplemental Support for 2014 Shelf wide Hypoxia Project will support a shelf wide hypoxia cruise in 2014. Future and long-term support for a mid-summer hypoxia mapping cruise remains a critical component of supporting the goals of the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Nutrient Management Task Force (Hypoxia Task Force), which is co-chaired by NOAA and EPA. The 2014 shelf wide hypoxia cruise will fulfill a 30-year baseline in support of the Hypoxia Task Force's environmental goals.

Information on the Gulf of Mexico Program: https://www.epa.gov/gmpo.

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