LA Wetlands of Louisiana Are the Water-Saturated

LA Wetlands

Wetlands of Louisiana are the water-saturated swamp and coastal regions of southern Louisiana.

The Environmental Protection Agency says that wetlands are "those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or groundwater at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions (e.g. swamps, bogs, fens, marshes, and estuaries) ("Environmental Protection Agency")."

These areas make up just a very small percentage of the total land to be found in America, Southern Louisiana contains some 40-45% of the wetlands to be found in the lower United States. This is the case in Louisiana because the state represents the drainage gateway to the Gulf of Mexico from the Lower Mississippi Regional Watershed. The Lower Mississippi Regional Watershed acts to drain more than 24 million acres (97,000 km2) in 7 states from the southern part Illinois to the Gulf of Mexico (WN).

The east coastline of Louisiana is more susceptible to coastal erosion than the west coastline because a lot of the east coastline was created by the silt deposits from the Mississippi. The west coastline is made up of marsh. However, the marshes extend inland by only 30 miles at the most. The elevation begins to increase after that and the marshes then fade into prairies. As a result, rising sea levels (because of coastal erosion and global warming) will not affect the west coastline as much as the eastern half. This may cease to exist (ibid).

Wetlands have proven to have many functions in the environment as well as for the human population in its area. Louisiana's wetlands are of global ecological importance. Many Louisiana natives present living on the Gulf of Mexico will have to face horrible problems if the coastal erosion continues to grow at the pace it is going. The loss of Louisiana's coastal wetlands is a problem that will impact a wide range of individuals, from those that live in the metropolitan areas to those who far away as well as those living in smaller cities along the shore. The resources that this ecosystem supplies are then utilized nationwide. The U.S. is expected to lose billions of dollars from seafood, the oil, gas revenues and also commercial shipping if the Louisiana's coast recedes more (ibid).

Louisiana's wetlands are a home to plants, fish and other wild life that is exclusive to the area. Unfortunately, their habitat is shrinking steadily and about half of Louisiana's original wetlands have been lost over the last two hundred years. The state's disappearing wetlands have had a broad impact that ranges from the cultural to the economic. The commercial fishing industry in the state accounts for over $300 million of the Louisiana economy. Over 70% of that amount comes from species such as oysters, shrimp and blue crabs that rely on the coastal wetlands as nurseries for their young. Louisiana sells over 330,000 hunting licenses and 900,000 fishing licenses annually to hunters who depend on the wetlands as game habitat. Additionally, recreational activities such as swimming, boating, camping, hiking, bird watching, painting and photography are abundant in the wetlands. The wetlands host a wide variety of trees such as the Tupelo Gum, Bald Cypress and cottonwood. Other plants include the Dwarf Palmetto and Wax Myrtle as well as submerged aquatic plants, including Vallisneria and Ruppia (native to Louisiana wetlands). The wetland plants serve natural filters. This helps remove heavy metals, pesticides and sewage from polluted water before it reaches the Gulf of Mexico. The animal species native to such areas include the osprey, egrets, herons, beavers and alligators that are losing huge areas of precious food resources and natural habitat. There are many naturally occurring forces that can adversely affect the wetlands of Louisiana, but many believe it is humanity that has caused the majority of the decline in area (ibid).