big river, big dead zone

What happens when loads of nitrogen from chemical fertilizers get washed from commodity crop farms down the Mississippi and into the Gulf of Mexico? A big fat dead zone is what happens. A dead zone roughly the size of my home state, New Jersey, where no marine life can live because of decomposing algae that suck the oxygen from the water.

You may have already heard about this problem, but now there’s a film. From the guys who brought us King Corn, comes Big River. Catch a snippet below, come to a screening on March 15th, or host your own.

Learn more about the dead zone:

Dead in the Water (from EWG)

What is the Dead Zone? (Science Museum of Minnesota)