Question

The Gulf of Mexico dead zone that forms each summer at the mouth of the Mississippi River is caused largely by the input of agricultural fertilizers. Many scientists advocate restoring wetlands (as well as creating them) as a strategy to reduce the severity and extent of the dead zone. The idea is that plants in healthy intact wetlands will remove these nutrients from the water (during growth) and prevent their washing into the river and the Gulf of Mexico. List at least two potential benefits to this strategy, as opposed to a more traditional chemical intensive approach such as that used at most waste water treatment plants.

Answer 1

1. Restoring wetlands could be cheaper in the long run, once the ecosystem is restored it maintainace will not be as costly as that of water treatment plants.

2. This strategy also will be benefical for biodiversiy conservation and would bring ecosystems services to surrounding communities.