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Coastal Land Loss Slowing For Now

Lauren Sullivan
/
Flicker/CC BY-SA 2.0
A new study shows the Lousiana coast is disappearing at an average rate of a football field of land per 100 minutes.

A new study shows Louisiana’s land loss has slowed down a little bit. But that’s still not necessarily good news.

 

It’s almost become a tired refrain here in Louisiana -- the state loses an average of about a football field of land every hour. Now it takes about 100 minutes, roughly an hour and a half for that much land to wash into the Gulf of Mexico.

 

The study, from the U.S. Geological Survey, says land loss could be slowing for a few of reasons. Like hurricanes, for example. They can do LOTS of damage, but we haven’t had a major hurricane since 2008.

 

All those coastal restoration projects could be contributing, too.

 

Brady Couvillion is the lead researcher on the study. He says this doesn’t mean the forecast is rosy, though.

 

"If someone were stealing $3,000 from your bank account, and now all of a sudden they’re stealing $1,000 from your bank account,” he says, “it’s still a tremendous problem.”

 

Couvillion says it’s a brief moment of good news, but sea level rise could speed things up again in coming years.

 

Support for the Coastal Desk comes from the Walton Family Foundation, the Coypu Foundation, the Greater New Orleans Foundation, and local listeners.

As Coastal Reporter, Travis Lux covers flood protection, coastal restoration, infrastructure, the energy and seafood industries, and the environment. In this role he's reported on everything from pipeline protests in the Atchafalaya swamp, to how shrimpers cope with low prices. He had a big hand in producing the series, New Orleans: Ready Or Not?, which examined how prepared New Orleans is for a future with more extreme weather. In 2017, Travis co-produced two episodes of TriPod: New Orleans at 300 examining New Orleans' historic efforts at flood protection. One episode, NOLA vs Nature: The Other Biggest Flood in New Orleans History, was recognized with awards from the Public Radio News Directors and the New Orleans Press Club. His stories often find a wider audience on national programs, too, like NPR's Morning Edition, WBUR's Here and Now, and WHYY's The Pulse.

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