Scientists are expecting this years dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico to be one of the largest in recorded history because of alarming amounts of rainfall and pollution.

The oxygen-starved area, which gets its name from the difficulty of marine life to survive, is expected to grow to roughly the size of Massachusetts, or approximately 7,829 square miles, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Monday.

This forecast is similar to one released Monday by Louisiana State University. The LSU forecast expects the dead zone, also called a hypoxic zone, to cover 8,717-square-miles, which is roughly the size of New Jersey.