WHAT IS CAUSING COASTAL EROSION?
As a Native American, I belief is that when the place where I live sinks under the sea, the Houma Nation, my tribe, ceases to exist – Steve Cheramie, 1999 Introduction I. Subsidence II. Levees III. We’ve reached the edge of the continental shelf IV. Reduction in available sediment in the river V. Sea level rise VI. Saltwater intrusion VII. Toxic effects of sulfide accumulation in the wetland soils VIII. Produced water IX. Hurricanes and other storms X. Canals and channelization XI. Spoil banks XII. Filling, drainage, and development XIII. Loss of barrier islands XIV. Life cycle of the coastal marshes XV. Herbivory by wildlife XVI. Summary One would hope that if the cause of Louisiana’s coastal wetland loss is simple, the solution might also be simple. Unfortunately, this is not so. Oh, yes, each of the many causative factors is rather simple, but for any given location, different combinations of factors are at work and each different combination demands different solutions. The followi
