Saltwater Effects On The Wetlands

Giving full credit to restricting the Mississippi River as the culprit for loss of wetlands is not accurate. The booming oil and gas exploration of the 1970’s and 1980’s merits a name on the marquee as well. The pipelines and canals used to transport the resources to the outside world placed a great deal of stress on the fragile wetlands. Erosion from the barges in and out of the marshes as well as the salt water allowed into the fresh water, providing a precarious habitat for fresh water species – flora and fauna alike. Plants provide root systems to hold soil in place. Fish and fowl provide an economy for the area. Enter

Wetlands provide fish and wildlife habitat. It supplies food water, along with areas that can be used for nesting or resting. Wetlands also act as a aquifer recharge and discharge area. They are able to recharge groundwater or excess groundwater is able to discharge into the wetland. Wetlands act as flood storage when rainfall and snowmelt leave an excess of water around and no place to go.

The characteristic warming climate of the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene resulted in rising sea levels which contributed to the formation of the various deltas in the New Orleans area (Dunbar, Britsch, 2008). The natural formation of these deltas produced coastal wetlands that represent 30% of coastal wetlands currently in the United States (Cigler, 2007). In addition to these wetlands, the Mississippi River was surrounded by substantial forest growth (Pabis, 1998).

If the government designates certain areas within a community to be "wetlands," and therefore illegal to build upon, what happens to land not classified as "wetlands" within the community?

As it stands today the U.S. coast of the Gulf of Mexico is losing more and more land; the amount of land lost each year may seem relatively small to the average person, but to scientists who understand the unprecedented rate at which this is happening, there is reason to be alarmed. On the U.S. coast of the Gulf of Mexico there are more reasons for the rising sea level than simply global warming and melting ice sheets or ice caps. In the Mississippi delta, for example, the oil industry is taking so much fluid (oil) out of the ground that the land is sinking and compacting further. There is also a decrease in the amount of sediment reaching the delta due to many man-made structures, such as levees, drudging, dikes, and

2. The environmental impacts of the Mississippi in the next 50 to 100 years could be devastating to that land by which the Mississippi borders. The reasoning behind this is because the silt is being washed out to sea instead of coating the bed of the Mississippi. This is going to cause erosion of the land that borders the Mississippi. Another reason is the sediments that usually go down to the wetlands will be washed out to sea and not make the plants flourish in the wetlands this could

To begin with, wildlife is brutally being affected by the draining and pollution. In the early 1900’s settlers from outside of Florida took over the Everglades and decided it was “useless swampland.” Their idea of draining the wetlands was not a smart decision. As it states in passage 1 lines 17-19, “The US Army Corps of engineers and government officials authorized the digging of the canals, the creating of water storage facilities, and

Louisiana should be concerned about the wetlands because of the wildlife and fisheries. Without it, Louisiana would not be able to supply seafood and wildlife. Another concern, is the land going under and people could lose their homes. According to Allured and Martin, “the destruction of the wetlands came from the coastal and offshore oil and gas development” (p.332). Also, there is some thought that humans play a role in the destruction. According to Allured and Martin, “swamps symbolize as dark and chaotic places of the earth” and “marsh as a type of wet area that harbored disease” (p. 333). The importance of ascertaining the cause of the vanishing wetlands is to help restore the wetlands and protect from a hurricane

The article “Louisiana is losing a football field of wetlands an hour, new U.S. Geological Survey study says” by Mark Schleifstein provides the reader with lots of detail on how much land Louisiana is losing. By giving statistics and reason why Louisiana is losing so much land.

These wetlands can be protected if humans reduce pollution amounts. Many wetlands are affected by pesticides and fertilizers, among other pollutants, clogging up the waters. Another thing which is harming wetlands is when people drain them or get rid of them to make way for open land. People can help by either joining a cause which preserves wetlands or by making sure rivers and streams become pollution-free zones so that the organisms living there can continue to survive.

Louisiana is gradually declining in size due to the loss of coastal marshes and wetlands. After several years, Louisiana has a big probability of having no land whatsoever. The problem is slowly getting larger, and if something isn’t performed, soon enough Louisiana will be a place that only contains water. Regarding coastal erosions, it alters places economically, environmentally, and socially. Natural events happen that leads to the destruction of Louisiana’s wetlands; however, human activities causes it too.

Louisiana has many wetlands, rivers, lakes, and coastal plains. One river that stretches over a great part of Louisiana is the Mississippi River. Lake Pontchartrain is the

Obviously, it has been largely ignored in how resources are extracted, leading to the issue of wetland degradation. Oil drilling and driving boats to and from drills eroded large sections of the wetlands. However, the issue of degradation cannot be completely solved. The Louisiana state government has acknowledged that even with its restoration program, it cannot build enough land to offset the losses. Under the principle of stewardship, we understand that the poor are affected first and worst, which is clearly seen in coastal Louisiana. Not only are the poor affected more because they often live on the front lines of environmental decay but also because, as a culture, we rush to protect more affluent communities first. More resources are allocated to protect New Orleans from flooding than coastal fishing communities like Jean Lafitte. Within the coastal towns though, residents have upheld stewardship in their communion with the area and reciprocal understanding of how to care for

The Mississippi River influences the states of Louisiana in numerous ways. The river can be both beneficial and harmful to the state. It may help with industries, but at the same time it may be harming by taking away from Louisiana’s coastline. While erosion is widely considered to be a destructive occurrence, it does have some necessary features. For example, erosion provides many nutrients for animals living in the water, and it creates new deltas that many animals live in. Since the beginning of Louisiana, the Mississippi River has been a crucial factor in the creation and the development of Louisiana’s economy. It has helped with things like trade and the growth of crops. The Mississippi is also significant in the way Louisiana is shaped

These wetlands support a wide variety of life; it has the ability to control flood waters and protect them from those dangers. The loss of wetlands would put humans at risk, because wetlands serve as a natural buffer-zone against storms and hurricanes, slowing down storms and reducing their force before they move inward. They act as a filter by cleaning and restoring the quality of the water that is used daily in Florida. “One out of every three Floridians (7 million people) rely on the Everglades for their water supply” (The Everglades: Quick facts). Florida’s Everglades also provide a source of livelihood, as there are specific centers for hunting, fishing, and recreation.