As coastal lands in Louisiana erode, researchers, environmentalists and engineers are all searching for ways to preserve the marsh coastline.
As coastal lands in Louisiana erode, researchers, environmentalists and engineers are all searching for ways to preserve the marsh coastline.
Now, a Florida State University researcher has developed a model to help stakeholders figure out what factors they need to consider to rebuild land in this fragile wetland.
The model is outlined in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
“Coastal Louisiana is losing a lot of its wetlands — about a football field every hour,” said Jaap Nienhuis, assistant professor of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science. “It’s really, really fast.”
The Mississippi River has been leveed to prevent occasional flooding. But the levees have also prevented sediment from coming through and building land to offset the subsidence and land loss.
Read more at Florida State University
Image: Jaap Nienhuis, assistant professor of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, said Coastal Louisiana is losing about a football field of its wetlands every hour. (Credit: U.S. Geological Survey)
