The Gulf of Mexico
How Have Humans Affected It?
What Have Humans Done?
- The Gulf is being polluted because humans don't throw away trash properly so it goes into the ocean
- People also dump trash off the sides of boats because it is more convenient than waiting to go to the shore
- There is a dead zone the size of New Jersey in the Gulf of Mexico because of us (Heimbuch)
Endangered Animals
- 29 endangered mammals including dolphins and whales (Heimbuch)
- 5 species of turtles (Heimbuch)
- 49 species of sharks (Heimbuch)
What Could Possibly Happen?
- Plastic debris doubles every decade and is nearly impossible to get out of the ocean (Parker)
- The population is projected to increase 40% near the shores of the Gulf (Heimbuch)