Slowing of coastal subsidence is good news for restoration of Louisiana's wetlands
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Abstract
Every year, volunteers use thousands of discarded Christmas trees to build brush fences in the coastal waters of Louisiana. The fences slow down waves and trap sediment, allowing aquatic vegetation to take root in the still water and stimulating the growth of new marsh. This is one of many efforts to counteract wetland loss (the loss of saline, brackish, intermediate, and freshwater marshes) that has plagued coastal Louisiana since the mid-20th century. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists recently announced good news for Louisiana's coastal-restoration projects: using a combination of historical and recently released data, they discovered that subsidence of coastal land in the Mississippi River delta plain appears to have slowed considerably since the 1990s. This discovery means that new marshlands created by the Christmas tree program and other restoration projects may persist—that is, stay above sea level—longer than previously thought.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Slowing of coastal subsidence is good news for restoration of Louisiana's wetlands |
| Series title | Sound Waves: Coastal science and research news from across the USGS |
| Year Published | 2008 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | U.S. Geological Survey |
| Publisher location | Reston, VA |
| Contributing office(s) | St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center |
| Description | HTML document |
| Country | United States |
| State | Louisiana |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |