Sunday 13 January 2013

Delta Case Study: Mississppi Delta

Wildlife:
-40% of america's salt marsh
-Breeding colonies of birds
-Has lots of Seperate eco-systems
-Home to 40% of water fowl because of the winter migration


Industry
-Produces 18% of the USA's oil
-Produces 30% of the USA's sea food
-Lots of trade flows through it - imports and exports that are transported by ships
-Supports 2 million jobs
-Its economic value is between $12-47 billion a year

Location and composition:
-Gulf of Mexico
-Primarily managed for navigation and flood control
-Continuous March
-Protects from hurricanes
-Collects sediments from Rockies to the Appalachians as it has a huge drainage basin
-Carries lots of nutrients

Past:
-Fast flowing river hitting the delta
-Caused 15-50 miles to be added to the Louisiana coast
-It has been building up shoreline since the Jurassic period

Future:
-Lots of land has been lost (An area the size of Delaware)
   -An area the size of a football field is lost every 45 minutes
Restoring the Wetlands:
-Part of Louisiana's 2012 coastal master plan
-They are trying to reverse coastal land loss
-They have sediment diversions, shoreline protection, Barrier island protection and are trying to create marshes

Human Interference:
-More than 80% of the  forests have been turned to agriculture

No comments:

Post a Comment