Recent Subsidence-Rate Reductions in the Mississippi Delta and Their Geological Implications

Morton, Robert A.; Bernier, Julie C.

doi:10.2112/jcoastres-d-09-00014r1.1

Cited by 96 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Louisiana's coast of the northern Gulf of Mexico experienced rapid land subsidence and land loss in the past century [32][33][34]. As a result, the Louisiana Gulf coast has had one of the highest relative sea-level rises in the United States [35,36].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatiotemporal Distributions of Sr and Ba along an Estuarine River with a Large Salinity Gradient to the Gulf of Mexico

2016

Water

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Strontium and barium to calcium ratios are often used as proxies for tracking animal movement across salinity gradients. Many estuarine rivers face saltwater intrusion due to sea level rise, potentially causing changes in mobility and distribution of these metals upstream. From May 2013 to August 2015, monthly water samples were collected and in-situ measurements were performed at six sites along an estuary strongly affected by saltwater intrusion, the Calcasieu River, with salinity ranging from 0.02 to 29.50 Parts Per Thousand (ppt). Results showed that the total Sr concentration and the Sr/Ca ratio both increased significantly with increasing salinity. The average Sr concentration at the site closest to the Gulf of Mexico (Site 6) was 46.21 µmol/L, about 130 times higher than that of the site furthest upstream (Site 1, 0.35). The average Sr/Ca ratio at Site 6 (8.41 mmol/mol) was about three times the average Sr/Ca ratio at Site 1 (2.89). However, the spatial variation in total Ba concentration was marginal, varying from 0.36 to 0.47 µmol/L. The average Ba/Ca ratio at Site 1 (4.82 mmol/mol) was about 54 times the ratio at Site 6 (0.09), showing a negative relation between the Ba/Ca ratio and salinity. All elemental concentrations and ratios had considerable seasonal variations, with significant differences among sampling months for the Sr and Ba concentrations and the Ba/Ca ratio (p < 0.01). The results suggest that for low-gradient estuarine rivers such as the Calcasieu River, water chemistry upstream would experience substantial Sr and Ca enrichment, potentially affecting aquatic environments and biological communities.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatiotemporal Distributions of Sr and Ba along an Estuarine River with a Large Salinity Gradient to the Gulf of Mexico

2016

Water

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“…This last point is point is very important because rapid subsidence of deltaic sediments, though at a larger scale, is known for instance from Louisiana Morton and Bernier, 2010), the Po plain in Italy (Baldi et al, 2009;Stramondo et al, 2007), and the Axios (Vardar) delta in northern Greece (Psimoulis et al, 2007;Stiros, 2001). In the Mississippi and Axios deltas, subsidence seems to be associated with deformation of ground strata leading to horizontal displacements toward the depocenter Morton and Bernier, 2010;Psimoulis et a l., 2007).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Time Series Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry for Ground Deformation Monitoring over a Small Scale Tectonically Active Deltaic Environment (Mornos, Central Greece)

Parcharidis

Kourkouli

Karymbalis

et al. 2011

Journal of Coastal Research

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“…Locations and time periods with exceedances of natural geological subsidence rates might identify where some anthropogenic stressors have accelerated wetlands loss (64). A recent study found that decadal changes in subsidence rates trended with hydrocarbon extraction, indicating a historical influence of the latter on accelerated loss of wetlands in some areas (65).…”

Section: Examples Of Improving Sustainability Analysis In Different Ementioning

confidence: 99%

Broader perspective on ecosystem sustainability: Consequences for decision making

Sidle

Benson

Carriger

et al. 2013

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Although the concept of ecosystem sustainability has a long-term focus, it is often viewed from a static system perspective. Because most ecosystems are dynamic, we explore sustainability assessments from three additional perspectives: resilient systems; systems where tipping points occur; and systems subject to episodic resetting. Whereas foundations of ecosystem resilience originated in ecology, recent discussions have focused on geophysical attributes, and it is recognized that dynamic system components may not return to their former state following perturbations. Tipping points emerge when chronic changes (typically anthropogenic, but sometimes natural) push ecosystems to thresholds that cause collapse of process and function and may become permanent. Ecosystem resetting occurs when episodic natural disasters breach thresholds with little or no warning, resulting in long-term changes to environmental attributes or ecosystem function. An example of sustainability assessment of ecosystem goods and services along the Gulf Coast (USA) demonstrates the need to include both the resilient and dynamic nature of biogeomorphic components. Mountain road development in northwest Yunnan, China, makes rivers and related habitat vulnerable to tipping points. Ecosystems reset by natural disasters are also presented, emphasizing the need to understand the magnitude frequency and interrelationships among major disturbances, as shown by (i) the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and resulting tsunami, including how unsustainable urban development exacerbates geodisaster propagation, and (ii) repeated major earthquakes and associated geomorphic and vegetation disturbances in Papua New Guinea. Although all of these ecosystem perturbations and shifts are individually recognized, they are not embraced in contemporary sustainable decision making.ecosystem stressors | complex system behavior | sustainability analysis | cascading effects | coastal zone management

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Recent Subsidence-Rate Reductions in the Mississippi Delta and Their Geological Implications

Cited by 96 publications

References 11 publications

Spatiotemporal Distributions of Sr and Ba along an Estuarine River with a Large Salinity Gradient to the Gulf of Mexico

Spatiotemporal Distributions of Sr and Ba along an Estuarine River with a Large Salinity Gradient to the Gulf of Mexico

Time Series Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry for Ground Deformation Monitoring over a Small Scale Tectonically Active Deltaic Environment (Mornos, Central Greece)

Broader perspective on ecosystem sustainability: Consequences for decision making

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