Louisiana's Subsidence Problem Looks Dire

New findings suggest that Louisiana's coasts are subsiding at an average rate of nine millimeters a year. That might not sound like much, but compounded with rising seas, some are calling the problem a "worst case scenario."

Chelsea Harvey writes: "Subsidence is believed to be a natural process, which has likely been occurring in the region for thousands of years. But scientists believe the process has been enhanced by a variety of human activities in the Mississippi Delta over the past century, including oil and gas extraction, as well as the building of levees and other actions affecting the flow of the Mississippi River [...]"

One observer notes that "the paper's greater value is the spatial variation it reveals, with different subsidence rates at different locations. This suggests that different parts of the shoreline may need more attention than others."