Land Loss

In coastal Louisiana, land equivalent to the size of a football field erodes into the ocean every 48 minutes. Before engineering projects controlled the flow of the Mississippi, the river flooded annually with the spring thaw, bringing in its waters rich nutrients and sediment that sustained and replenished the wetlands. Starved of the annual deposits of rich mud, the wetlands are quickly sinking into the ocean.

The problem is compounded by channels dug for navigation and oil exploration, which allow salt water to enter the wetlands, killing trees and plants. As the roots that hold the soft mud in place die and wash away, the process of erosion is further accelerated. Important habitats are not only lost to animals but to people, whose properties are sinking or suddenly washed away by a storm surge. As the wetlands melt away, so do natural surge barriers that used to protect populated areas like New Orleans.