1. Beyond Science into Policy: Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi River By: Colten Nswonger, Michaela Kempf, Cassie Ambuehl, Rébecca Ada Ondo, Shuai Wang, and Bethany Asmus

2. The Summary  Hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico  Hypoxia is the lack of oxygen in the water  At 2.0 mg per liter, aquatic life is disturbed  1.0 mg per liter = death  How does it occur?  High Nitrogen Levels  Starting in the 1950s  Fertilizer application, watershed, and land-use change  Channelization and coastal wetland loss  Over population of phytoplankton  Flux of poorly oxygenated water from offshore  Organic carbon load  Climate Change

3. Risk Assessment and policy used to accomplish goals  Goals:  Reducing the hypoxia 30% by 2015  Costal Goal: Hypoxia zone to less than 5000km 2*  Within basin goal: Restore and protect waters of the 31 states and tribal lands*  Quality-of-life goal: Improve communities and economic conditions*  Education: Informing the researchers, public, and government * = Action plan

4. Policy Development

5. What are the Risks if we don’t act?  Lower biodiversity in the Gulf  Increase harmful bacteria that thrive in the “dead zone”  Harmful to Human health

6. Differing View points  Fertilizer Institute  Council for Agriculture Science and Technology  Illinois Council for Food and Agricultural Research  “Can’t be from the Fertilizer”

8. What happens Next??