According to a 2008 study, there are over four hundred dead zones in waters all over the globe. They are spots were increased nutrients have resulted in hypoxia – low oxygen – and can no longer sustain the organisms that once lived there. The vast majority of them are along the US East Coast and Gulf Coast, with one area as large as 27 thousand miles across. This year, marine ecologist Nancy Rabalais was one of the winners of the MacArthur genius grants. She directs the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium and for almost thirty years has led the program collecting basic data on seasonal oxygen levels and nutrients in Gulf waters.
I spoke with Rabelais after her award and asked her to explain what hypoxia is, what it does and what it means.
7:53 Hypoxia Rabelais Barnett
Nancy Rabelais is a marine ecologist whose work on hypoxia won her one of this year’sMacArthur Genius grants.
Coming up, cops, kids, and boxing – plus a personal view of the question of guns.
(9:27)
For many students, athletic scholarships pave the way to a better future. But one sport – boxing – has long been anathema to academia.
The NCAA hasn’t had a boxing program since 1960, the year a boxer suffered a fatal hemorrhage during league championships.
Here in New York City, the Police Athletic Leaguekept kids in the ring for much longer -- until 2006, when the boxing program got knocked out by budget cuts and flagging support from donors.
But one organization working in Brooklyn and Staten Island is convinced that boxing is the secret to getting through to at-risk teenagers.
Tom DiChristopher has the story.
(12:36)
That’s our show for this week.
Thanks to Katie Britton for production assistance. Our theme music is by Kevin Bartlett. This show is a national production of Northeast Public Radio. Our executive producer is Dr. Alan Chartock. Thanks so much for joining us…we’ll be back next week with another edition of 51% The Women's Perspective.