Scientists say the Gulf of Mexico's oxygen-starved "dead zone" is a bit smaller than predicted, because Hurricane Dolly stirred up the water.

Scientists had predicted that flood runoff would bring so much fertilizer and other nutrients into the Gulf that the area of low oxygen would be a record 8,300 to 8,800 square miles.

The Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium's research vessel Pelican finished its annual survey on Monday. LUMCON director Nancy Rabalais says the low-oxygen area covers about 8,000 square miles. That's barely behind the 8,006 square miles recorded in 2001.

Rabalais says that Dolly's winds and waves stirred oxygen into the water, especially along the western and shoreward areas.