Gulf of Mexico dead zone
Mississippi River mouth, Louisiana, USA · 29.00°, -90.50° · River pollution
Farm fertiliser washed down the Mississippi feeds algae that strip oxygen from thousands of square kilometres of sea.
Each summer, nitrogen and phosphorus from Midwestern farms reach the Gulf and trigger algal blooms. When the algae die and decompose they consume oxygen, creating a 'hypoxic zone' where fish and shrimp cannot survive; it has covered more than 20,000 km² in bad years. Wetland restoration and cover crops upstream reduce the runoff.
In the game
Gulf of Mexico dead zone flares up as Polluted water. The fix is a gesture: drag through the floating waste to sweep it up. Done right, it becomes Water cleaned ♻️. Finish all three steps of its chain in one round for a combo, or take your time in Explore mode: a place you fully restore stays green on your map for good.
🧭 Fly there and restore it▶ Play a 60-second round