• Originally published July 25, 2008 at 6:34 p.m., updated July 25, 2008 at 6:34 p.m.

To oceanographers like Dr. Steve DiMarco of Texas A&M University, monitoring the Gulf of Mexico’s “Dead Zone” must be akin to watching a loved one fighting for life in the intensive care unit.

Struggling to breathe, her heart straining to sustain her, she slowly loses the fight for survival as the disease continues its deadly onslaught. The poisons feeding her sickness continue to invade her body.

For 16 years, that’s what it’s been like for Dr. DiMarco and other scientists — the helpless feeling that they are fighting something that is, thus far, proving to be an unbeatable opponent.

This year, it was announced, the dead zone is the largest it’s ever been — 8,800 square miles — bigger than the state of New Jersey. In this area, off the Texas and Louisiana coasts, at various depths, nothing lives.

How big a problem is that? Consider that the Gulf of Mexico supplies 72 percent of U.S. harvested shrimp, 66 percent of harvested oysters and 16 percent of commercial fish, according to the Potash and Phosphate Institutes of the U.S. and Canada.

What causes it? What has rendered such a huge area of the Gulf dead?

Runoff. The freshwater runoff from the Mississippi, the Brazos, and other bodies of water that empty into the Gulf. Nature causes part of it, as the freshwater and saltwater don’t mix very well, and the condition of “hypoxia” — a lack of oxygen — develops.

And man has made the situation worse. Much of the runoff is filled with the poisons man has created to cure other problems, like pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers. Animal waste also plays a part in this sad situation.

“Nutrient pollution,” the scientists call it. As the Mississippi, for instance, flows through farming state after farming state, these “nutrients” multiply.

And to the hapless creatures who venture into these Gulf dead zones, it’s just poison, plain and simple.

So, the key question in all this is: How do we reverse this mess?

Scientists say the key to minimizing the Gulf dead zone is to address it at the source.

The solutions they list include using fewer fertilizers and adjusting the timing of fertilizer applications to limit runoff of excess nutrients from farmland. Of course, a balance has to be achieved in order for our farmers to continue to feed a hungry nation.

They also suggest controlling animal wastes so that they are not allowed to enter into waterways. In a related matter, they suggest monitoring of septic systems and sewage treatment facilities to reduce discharge of nutrients to surface water and groundwater.

Finally, they urge careful industrial practices such as limiting the discharge of nutrients, organic matter, and chemicals from manufacturing facilities.

These solutions, scientists say, are relatively simple to implement and would significantly reduce the input of nitrogen and phosphorus to the Gulf of Mexico.

And the starting point is caring. If you care, let your elected representatives know, in great numbers, that we do care about our beloved Gulf of Mexico, our “Third Coast.”

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