Though this year's Gulf of Mexico 'dead zone' -- an oxygen-starved, or hypoxic, area with adverse effects on aquatic life-- is smaller than originally forecasted, researchers recently reported that the volume of hypoxic water may be higher than usual.  SNRE professor Donald Scavia notes that the lack of "normal physical conditions" this year was a contributing factor to the discrepancy between the model's predictions and the actual size of the dead zone.  Despite a smaller size, this year's hypoxic layer penetrates deeper into the Gulf in certain areas, according to the scientists.