Scientists say the overwhelming majority of the state’s wetlands – a natural buffer against hurricanes – are in a state of ‘drowning’ and could be gone by 2070

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“If this rate of sea level rise continues for another 10 or 20 years, then we would probably lose the vast majority of our wetlands in that time period,” said Torbjorn Tornqvist, a Tulane wetlands expert and the second of the study’s three authors, along with sea level expert Sonke Dangendorf.

The paper is here

  • pan_troglodytes@programming.devEnglish
    11·
    9 months ago

    eh… yes and no. I’ve lived in southern Louisiana and have been to the bayou any number of times - for the most part, the people that live there have houses on stilts as they deal with annual flooding from hurricanes - they also, seeming each and every one of them, own multiple boats and/or other watercraft. no, they’ll be fine. the cities in southern Louisiana will be really fucked if they dont build seawalls, but they will - probably. eventually, and likely too late, but it’ll happen - the Port of New Orleans is critical infrastructure, vital for international trade.

    • silence7@slrpnk.netOPM
      7·
      9 months ago

      Those kinds of adaptation measures have limits, and I don’t expect them to be viable long-term. People have already moved inland to some degree, and this is an indication that more will have to.