The Role of Hydrocarbon Production on Land Subsidence and Fault Reactivation in the Louisiana Coastal Zone

Chan, Alvin W.; Zoback, Mark D.

doi:10.2112/05-0553

Cited by 94 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Evidently this holds only for deltas riddled with boreholes and for which distortion by the human factor is well documented. In the Mississippi delta regional subsidence can be shown to be locally compounded by fault reactivation induced by hydrocarbon extraction [57,58].…”

Section: (A) Local Adjustmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

River history and tectonics

Vita‐Finzi

2012

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A.

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The analysis of crustal deformation by tectonic processes has gained much from the clues offered by drainage geometry and river behaviour, while the interpretation of channel patterns and sequences benefits from information on Earth movements before or during their development. The interplay between the two strands operates at many scales: themes which have already benefited from it include the possible role of mantle plumes in the breakup of Gondwana, the Cenozoic development of drainage systems in Africa and Australia, Himalayan uplift in response to erosion, alternating episodes of uplift and subsidence in the Mississippi delta, buckling of the Indian lithospheric plate, and changes in stream pattern and sinuosity along individual alluvial channels subject to localized deformation. Developments in remote sensing, isotopic dating and numerical modelling are starting to yield quantitative analyses of such effects, to the benefit of geodymamics as well as fluvial hydrology.

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Section: (A) Local Adjustmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

River history and tectonics

Vita‐Finzi

2012

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A.

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“…Yuill et al (2009) found that the range of rates caused by the four factors were 1.0-8.0, 1.0-5.0, 0.1-20 and 0-3 mm/year [9]. Chan (2007) and Mallman and Zoback (2007) concluded that the combination of the first three environmental processes explained only about a 3-mm/year subsidence rate, whereas vertical change caused by hydrocarbon production induced fault reactivation, and reservoir compaction was primary responsible for the high subsidence rates, as the change of hydrocarbon production volumes coincide with the changes of land loss rates during 1920 and 1995 [1,25].…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Lower Mississippi River Basin (LMRB) located in southeastern coastal Louisiana is a major producer of crude oil and natural gas in the U.S., containing a large portion (40%-45%) of the nation's coastal wetlands and acting as a buffer zone for in-land residents from hurricanes and storms [1]. Since 1930, however, this area has lost more than 4921 km 2 (~1900 mi 2 ) of land, which accounts for 80% of the total coastal wetland loss in the U.S. [2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating Land Subsidence Rates and Their Implications for Land Loss in the Lower Mississippi River Basin

Zou

Kent

Lam

et al. 2015

Water

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High subsidence rates, along with eustatic sea-level change, sediment accumulation and shoreline erosion have led to widespread land loss and the deterioration of ecosystem health around the Lower Mississippi River Basin (LMRB). A proper evaluation of the spatial pattern of subsidence rates in the LMRB is the key to understanding the mechanisms of the submergence, estimating its potential impacts on land loss and the long-term sustainability of the region. Based on the subsidence rate data derived from benchmark surveys from 1922 to 1995, this paper constructed a subsidence rate surface for the region through the empirical Bayesian kriging (EBK) interpolation method. The results show that the subsidence rates in the region ranged from 1.7 to 29 mm/year, with an average rate of 9.4 mm/year. Subsidence rates increased from north to south as the outcome of both regional geophysical conditions and anthropogenic activities. Four areas of high subsidence rates were found, and they are located in Orleans, Jefferson, Terrebonne and Plaquemines parishes. A projection of future landscape loss using the interpolated subsidence rates reveals that areas below zero elevation in the LMRB will increase from 3.86% in 2004 to 19.79% in 2030 and 30.88% in 2050. This translates to a growing increase of areas that are vulnerable to land loss from 44.3 km 2 /year to 240.7 km 2 /year from 2011 to 2050. Under the same scenario, Lafourche, Plaquemines and Terrebonne parishes will experience serious loss of wetlands, whereas Orleans and Jefferson parishes will lose significant developed land, and Lafourche parish will endure severe loss of agriculture land.

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“…The hydrology of the Basin has been extensively altered due to construction of levees along the Mississippi River, closure of old distributaries [1][2][3][4][5][6], dredging of canals for navigation and oil and gas development [4,[7][8][9], drainage of upland areas (as in the case of the New Orleans metropolitan Figure 1. Location of the Central Wetlands Unit (CWU) and primary features.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Restoration and Management of a Degraded Baldcypress Swamp and Freshwater Marsh in Coastal Louisiana

Hunter¹,

Day

Shaffer

et al. 2016

Water

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Abstract:The Central Wetlands Unit (CWU), covering 12,000 hectares in St. Bernard and Orleans Parishes, Louisiana, was once a healthy baldcypress-water tupelo swamp and fresh and low salinity marsh before construction of levees isolated the region from Mississippi River floodwaters. Construction of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO), which funneled saltwater inland from the Gulf of Mexico, resulted in a drastic ecosystem change and caused mortality of almost all trees and low salinity marsh, but closure of the MRGO has led to decreases in soil and surface water salinity. Currently, the area is open water, brackish marsh, and remnant baldcypress stands. We measured hydrology, soils, water and sediment chemistry, vegetation composition and productivity, accretion, and soil strength to determine relative health of the wetlands. Vegetation species richness is low and above-and belowground biomass is up to 50% lower than a healthy marsh. Soil strength and bulk density are low over much of the area. A baldcypress wetland remains near a stormwater pumping station that also has received treated municipal effluent for about four decades. Based on the current health of the CWU, three restoration approaches are recommended, including: (1) mineral sediment input to increase elevation and soil strength; (2) nutrient-rich fresh water to increase productivity and buffer salinity; and (3) planting of freshwater forests, along with fresh and low salinity herbaceous vegetation.

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The Role of Hydrocarbon Production on Land Subsidence and Fault Reactivation in the Louisiana Coastal Zone

Cited by 94 publications

References 23 publications

River history and tectonics

River history and tectonics

Evaluating Land Subsidence Rates and Their Implications for Land Loss in the Lower Mississippi River Basin

Restoration and Management of a Degraded Baldcypress Swamp and Freshwater Marsh in Coastal Louisiana

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