Sedimentation
Photo title: Smothering Sensitive Life
Coral reefs can be smothered when deforestation and coastal development increases the amount of
sediment deposited in coastal waters. Sediment-starved saltmarshes recede as sea levels rise, reducing
coastal habitat and leaving them more susceptible to erosion and storm damage.
photo info: coral - Reefs@Risk (p. 11) - JIM MARAGOS, EAST-WEST CENTER
Figure title: Losing Land in Louisiana
Sediment-starved saltmarshes recede as sea levels rise, reducing coastal habitat and leaving them more
susceptible to erosion and storm damage. The image shows the loss of marshes on the Mississippi River
Delta from 1932-2000 and projected losses by 2050. More than 24000 hectares of marsh have been
inundated, with erosion rates reaching 16 hectares a day.
Source: Britsch, L.D., and Dunbar, J.B., 1993, “Land-loss Rates Louisiana Coastal Plain,”
Journal of Coastal Research v.9, p. 324–338; Cowardin et al, 1979, “Classification of Wetlands
and Deepwater Habitats of the United States” -79/31; and 2000 Thematic Mapper data
http://www.esri.com/mapmuseum/mapbook_gallery/volume19/mining3.html