Reuters: The Gulf of Mexico’s “dead zone” — a swath of algae-laden water with oxygen levels low enough to choke out marine life — will likely reach record size this year, and the main culprits are rising ethanol use and massive Midwest flooding, scientists said on Tuesday. The dead zone, which recurs each year off the Texas and Louisiana coasts, could stretch to more than 8,800 square miles (22,790 sq km) this year — about the size of New Jersey — compared with 6,662 square …