Land loss in the Mississippi River Delta: Role of subsidence, global sea-level rise, and coupled atmospheric and oceanographic processes

The Mississippi River Delta in coastal Louisiana has suffered large-scale land loss during the historic period and is representative of a global phenomenon where low-elevation deltaic coasts are increasingly at risk because disrupted sediment supply accelerated sea-level rise. Land natural part evolution over time, most occurred after individual delta-plain headlands were abandoned as active constructional landscapes, but before 1932 when collection air photos would make repeat measurements possible. A coastwide ∼5000 km2 now well documented for to 2016, which corresponds mean rate ∼57 yr−1. We use LiDAR digital topobathymetric model hindcast land-area changes through time 1950–2010 by incrementally restoring elevation lost due subsidence, rise, annual anomalies sea level. Our results support view that magnitude spatial distribution 20th century can be explained an unfortunate convergence ongoing greatly reduced dispersal levee construction, acceleration Other factors have contributed on local scales, anyway lack input, Multidecadal accelerations decelerations from 1950 2010 been observed, attributed subsidence subsurface fluid withdrawals. However, non-linear represents made water levels varied multidecadal Anomalies level driven flux into out Gulf Mexico Atlantic, Atlantic Oscillation (AMO), produces precipitation drainage area, discharge Mexico, wind directions serve trap along coast elevate level, or advect away lower Sea-level scale described here amplify suppress secular trend rise its impacts delta plains they respond anthropogenic disruption dispersal.