Reducing the Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico: Assessing the Costs to Agriculture

Abstract

Reducing the size of the hypoxic zone (Dead Zone) in the northern Gulf of Mexico will require a significant reduction in nutrient loads from the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin (MARB). This research uses an agriculture sector model and data on conservation system effectiveness and costs to estimate costs to the agriculture sector of meeting nutrient load goals at the outlet to the Gulf and at outlets of sub-basins in the watershed. The analysis also estimates resulting changes in crop prices and the resulting impacts on agricultural production and nutrient and sediment loss outside the MARB.