Air & Water Pollution

As previously mentioned, the Clean Water Act of 1972 and the Clean Air Act of 1963 were both enacted to protect from water and air pollution in the United States, not just the wetlands. In 2010 in the wake of the BP oil spill, the United States federal government sued British Petroleum and several other companies for damages related to the spill. Researchers from the University of California-Irvine discovered toxic chemicals including methane, hexane, and certain butane compounds. These chemicals begin to cause irritation to the skin and eyes, as well as dizziness. Oddly enough, the air samples though were not above the standards set by the federal government; they were higher though than Los Angeles and Mexico. Along with the air pollution, water pollution became an issue almost immediately. WaterWideWeb.org said that May 19^th, 2010 Governor Bobby Jindal began to pressure the Federal government to protect wildlife as the marshes were being effected down by the Mississippi. On top of that, the water in the area would be polluted further as chemicals used to break up the oil also contained harmful toxins. These toxins can kill birds and fish in the area as well. The wetlands can help disperse some of the harm done by water pollution, but they have limitations. Without the wetlands though being lost as time goes on, the dispersing of these chemicals can’t continue to occur  without wetlands.

Sources:

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/o/oil_spills/gulf_of_mexico_2010/index.html

Louisiana Geography [Chapter 14]

Following Hurricane Katrina, there was plenty of discussion about the location of the city of New Orleans, and much of southern Louisiana and its geography. The geography is one of the most fascinating parts about the state of Louisiana as the entire state lies only on average around 100 feet above sea level. Parts of the state are even several feet below it. One of the great debates after some of the hurricanes in the last several years have created some speculation about the location of major cities in the state, mainly New Orleans.

There are plenty of myths about Louisiana’s land area including that it is sinking, which would also contribute to the land loss in the region. Levees.org put together a compilation of myths and facts of the area with clear explanations as well. One example is that contrary to popular belief, New Orleans does not reside below sea level. The areas of the city that are above it, albeit by several feet, include the French Quarter, the Lower Ninth Ward, the Garden District, and many others. People also tend to believe that the city and these small parts of the city are sinking at rapid rate. While the city of New Orleans and the New Orleans area is sinking, the rate it’s sinking is greatly overrated. Studies from the Geological Study of America show that the rate of sinking and subsidence is around 1 millimeter per year. At that rate, it will only total a little less than four inches in this century which is barely anything. Lastly, people make the argument about rebuilding a city that is so vulnerable to floods, hurricanes, and other disasters. The study addresses is there are 39 major cities that, not unlike New Orleans, lie in flood plains. With that, there is just as much risk of rebuilding cities on fault lines, in the middle of Tornado Alley, and in the Dakotas where huge ice storms occur annually.

Sources: 

Levees.org