-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
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