Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Wetland Loss In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico: Multiple Working Hypotheses, R. Eugene Turner

Faculty Publications

I examined four hypotheses about causes for the dramatically high coastal wetland losses (0.86% yr−1) in the northern Gulf of Mexico: an extensive dredged canal and spoil bank network, a decline in sediments in the Mississippi River during the 1950s, Mississippi River navigation and flood protection levees, and salinity changes. Natural factors contributing to these habitat changes include eustatic sea-level rise and geological compaction, which appear to have remained relatively constant this century, although variation does occur. These four hypotheses were tested using data on land-to-water changes in 15-min quadrangle maps inventoried for four intervals between the 1930s and 1990. …