New Study Details Rapid Land Loss
Jun 03
It’s not news that the Mississippi River Delta has lost a stunning amount of land over the past eight decades. But a new U.S. Geological Survey study analyzing wetlands changes from 1932 to 2010 provides a more accurate picture of the state of the delta’s wetlands than had been previously available.
The USGS estimates that since 1932, Louisiana has lost 1,883 square miles—an area roughly the size of Delaware.
The report also makes it clear that there is hope. The Wax Lake and Atchafalaya Deltas have steadily gained land from the 1970s to present, showing that land building is still possible when water and sediments are allowed to flow into coastal marshes, rather than being funneled into the Gulf of Mexico.
Vanishing Paradise is working to restore the Mississippi River Delta by reconnecting the river to its wetlands; this study confirms that this solution is feasible and viable.
“We have a duty to address this national scale catastrophe, a duty to our children and their children,” Bob Dew, Ducks Unlimited’s manager of conservation programs in Louisiana said. “The loss of Gulf Coast habitat is one of the most significant threats to waterfowl on the continent, and everyone has a stake in the outcome.”
Read the study here and our press release here.
The two images below (taken from the map accompanying the report) clearly illustrate the differing fates of the two basins. The image of the Atchafalaya River river basin has mostly browns and greens, indicating where land has been gained. The reds, purples, blues and yellows on the Mississippi River Delta image all represent places where land has been lost.
