Dead Zones (documentary)
Screenings
Premiere, Museum Arnhem
13/04/25, 14:00
More info
Atlantos, Sustainable Ocean Student Team
Location: Utrecht University, Science Park, KGB ATLAS. 150
14/05/25, 19:30
Sign up here
NIOZ Texel, Oceaan Zaal
21/05/25, 10:00
(only for employees of NIOZ)
NIOZ Yerseke, Oosterscheldezaal
22/05/25, 10:00
(only for employees of NIOZ)
Re-Nature festival 2025, Ruigoord
20/09/25 & 21/09/25, time t.b.a.
Premiere, Museum Arnhem
13/04/25, 14:00
More info
Atlantos, Sustainable Ocean Student Team
Location: Utrecht University, Science Park, KGB ATLAS. 150
14/05/25, 19:30
Sign up here
NIOZ Texel, Oceaan Zaal
21/05/25, 10:00
(only for employees of NIOZ)
NIOZ Yerseke, Oosterscheldezaal
22/05/25, 10:00
(only for employees of NIOZ)
Re-Nature festival 2025, Ruigoord
20/09/25 & 21/09/25, time t.b.a.
‘Dead Zones’ is a documentary about oxygen deprived zones in the ocean and Dutch water quality. It was made on the occasion of the same-named multidisciplinary art-research project by visual artist Suzette Bousema.
Man-made dead zones are areas in coastal waters where micro algae blooms are fed by fertilizers from agriculture and other waste streams. When these blooms decompose, all oxygen is used by bacteria, and nothing is left for higher life forms. In the Baltic Sea, an are of 60.000 square meters is a dead zone. In the Gulf of Mexico, the Mississippi feeds a seasonal dead zone of about 23.000 square kilometers, as big as half of the Netherlands. In the Netherlands we have dead zones in a.o. Grevelingenmeer.
In the last 50 years, because of human impact and use of fertilizers for agriculture, the nutrient concentration has increased enormously, resulting in dead zones in coastal areas around the world. It has been calculated that now we have about 500 coastal dead zones, while in the 1950’s only about 50 existed.
Concept & storyline by Suzette Bousema
Filmed & edited by Kobin Majid
Music by Rafaele Andrade
Animations by Idris van Heffen & Wim Dijksterhuis
Featuring Joost Adriaanse (Seaweed farmer, VOF ’t Veersche Wier), Karen Eilers (Program manager Sustainable Agriculture, Natuur & Milieu), Niels Van Helmond (Marine biogeochemist, Radboud & Utrecht University), Rick Hennekam (Paleoceanographer, NIOZ), Peter Kraal (Marine geochemist, Nioz), Caroline Slomp (Marine biogeochemist, Radboud & Utrecht University), Wijnand Sukkel (Agro-ecologist, Farm of the Future, Wageningen University), Sven Teurlincx (Aquatic ecologist, NIOO – KNAW), Klaas Timmermans (Marine biologist, NIOZ Seaweedcentre), Suzanne De Zwaan (Msc Freshwater & Marine Biology, NIOZ & Utrecht University).
Special thanks to Zeynep Erdem (Postdoctoral researcher Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ), Rosan Van Halsema (Aquatic ecologist, NIOO-KNAW), Wytze Lenstra (Marine biogeochemist, Radboud University), Gert-Jan Reichart (Marine geologist & head of ocean research department , Utrecht University & NIOZ), Francesca Sangiorgi (Marine (paleo)ecologist, Utrecht University), Laura Villanueva (Marine microbiologist, NIOZ & Utrecht University).
This project was supported by Adessium Foundation, NATUURCULTUUR Award Fentener van Vlissingen Fund, Mondriaan Fund and Stroom Den Haag.