Weather Pattern Affecting Wetlands

The losses of large portions of the chain of the barrier islands from Hurricane Katrina greatly affected the rate of land loss. Issues continued when the sea levels are increasing due to natural and unnatural causes. The increases in greenhouse gases and pollutants have affected weather patterns around the world. New weather patterns have altered the intensity of storms and hurricanes all around the world.

Erosion and wetland loss had been occurring at a natural rate of change forever. The earth has been able to adjust itself under perfectly natural conditions. However, humankind has disrupted that natural cycle by air pollution, construction, and man-made ways of engineering water. A document published by Robert R. Twilley from Louisiana State University explains how the Gulf Coast is even more vulnerable than other regions of the United States. Twilley says that, “the Gulf Coast region is considered especially vulnerable to a changing climate because of its relatively flat topography, rapid rates of land subsidence”. He goes on to say mention that in the Mississippi delta, rapid subsidence has already produced accelerated rates of relative sea-level rise.”

If the intensities of storms remain consistent through the next century, the already affected wetlands will still lose up to 40 inches due to a decrease in ability to withstand storms and natural subsidence.  If these wetlands can balance themselves, the current climate models would predict that the Gulf Coast wetlands would only lose around one to three feet instead.

Sources:

http://www.pewclimate.org/docUploads/Regional-Impacts-Gulf.pdf