Factoid/2005/05/17
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< Beachapedia:Factoid | 2005 | 05
Why Louisiana's Coast Is Retreating Inland Fast
- "Over the last century, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other public agencies have built levees on the Mississippi River to shield people from floods, drained land for agriculture, and widened navigation channels for the movement of goods. These structures have cut the great Mississippi off from its delta, sending the fresh water and sediment that once nourished coastal wetlands straight out into the Gulf of Mexico. In addition, since the 1950s, much of the oil and gas that fuels the nation's economy has been conveyed from the Gulf to its markets through a complex network of pipelines and canals dug through Louisiana's coastal marsh. These channels have funneled seawater into areas of freshwater marsh, killing off salt-sensitive vegetation that holds wetland soils in place." - excerpt from http://www.nwf.org/enviroaction/index.cfm?articleId=423&issueId=43
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