Wetland sedimentation from hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
More than 131 x 10(6) metric tons (MT) of inorganic sediments accumulated in coastal wetlands when Hurricanes Katrina and Rita crossed the Louisiana coast in 2005, plus another 281 x 10(6) MT when accumulation was prorated for open water area. The annualized combined amount of inorganic sediments per hurricane equals (i) 12% of the Mississippi River's suspended load, (ii) 5.5 times the inorganic load delivered by overbank flooding before flood protection levees were constructed, and (iii) 227 times the amount introduced by a river diversion built for wetland restoration. The accumulation from hurricanes is sufficient to account for all the inorganic sediments in healthy saltmarsh wetlands.
Turner
R Eugene
RE
Coastal Ecology Institute, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA. euturne@lsu.edu
Baustian
Joseph J
JJ
Swenson
Erick M
EM
Spicer
Jennifer S
JS