The dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico measures 3,000 square miles this year, far less than what scientists expected the oxygen-starved region to clock in at.

Scientists had projected the dead zone to measure almost 8,000 square miles, but a recent bout of wind and waves pumped some much-needed oxygen into the area.

But don’t celebrate just yet.

Scientists who measured the dead zone, which is usually limited to water just above the sea floor, was severe where it did occur, extending closer to the water surface than in most years. In fact, Nancy Rabalais, a scientist from the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, described how they found crabs and eels and skimming the surface in that area, swimming their way to more oxgenated waters.

Agricultural runoff fuels the dead zone by causing an explosion in algae, which then consume life-sustaining oxygen levels in the water. Previous studies by the United States Geological Survey have shown that Missouri and Illinois are among the states that contribute the most nutrients to the Mississippi River, which ferries the pollutants to the Gulf.

Be sure to read more about this year’s dead zone in tomorrow’s Post-Dispatch. In the meantime, check out this multi-media presentation that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration put together on the dead zone.