Savoie Sand Levee, Rock Levee, Ocean, Beach and Oil Rigs, Port Fourchon, Louisiana. “The rate of sea-level rise in the 20th century, from the Florida panhandle to east Texas, has been five times higher compared to the pre-industrial millennium as a result of human-induced climate change.”(Törnqvist.) Photo source: ©© New Orleans Lady
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Earth’s crust beneath the Mississippi Delta sinks at a much slower rate than what had been assumed, a study shows.
However, these subsidence rates are small compared to the rate of present-day sea-level rise from the Florida panhandle to east Texas,” says paper co-author, Torbjörn Törnqvist of Tulane University.
“The rate of sea-level rise in the 20th century in this region has been five times higher compared to the pre-industrial millennium as a result of human-induced climate change.”
Sea level has risen more than eight inches during the past century.
“Looking forward 100 years, our main concern is the continued acceleration of sea-level rise due to global warming, which may amount to as much as three to five feet,” says Törnqvist.
“We can now show that sea-level rise has already been a larger factor in the loss of coastal wetlands than was previously believed.”
