Subscribe Now

The wetlands in southern Louisiana act as a buffer to help moderate flooding during storm events. Erosion of the Mississippi delta and sea level rise threaten these wetlands. Louisiana’s coast, which contains 40 percent of US wetlands, is disappearing into the Gulf of Mexico at a rate of 35 square miles per year. That is [...]

Salt marshes are important ecosystems where the ocean meets the shore. They help prevent shoreline erosion, filter out pollutants that would otherwise enter the ocean, and house estuaries where fish, shellfish, and crustaceans young are raised. About 60 percent of the coastal and freshwater marshes in the United States are found along the northeast Gulf [...]

About 4.85 million metric tons of sediment enter Mobile Bay Estuary each year! Thirty-three (33) percent of that sediment stays in the Mobile-Tensaw delta, 52 percent settles in Mobile Bay, and the remaining 15 percent makes it all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter (Source: U.S. EPA. Gulf Coast [...]

Erosion is a normal occurrence on any coastal shoreline, but because of the loss of wetlands and other natural guards against erosion, it now poses a risk to homes and coastal communities. In the past, most techniques used to stabilize coastal erosion included the construction of hard structures, such as seawalls and bulkheads, but scientists [...]

Did you know that Louisiana’s average shoreline erosion rates have increased from about 19 feet per year to over 32 feet per year? This is mostly due to impacts from storms and man-made alterations along the shoreline. Viewer Tip: Protect estuary shorelines by refraining from boating in no-wake zones. The waves created by your boat [...]

The United States population is growing at an unprecedented rate. On average, our population is growing at the rate of one person every 11 seconds. In 1900, the US was home to around 76 million people and by 2000, this figure had jumped to 282 million. In 2006, our population passed the 300 million mark [...]

Did you know that your used Christmas tree can help protect coastal wetlands? The Louisiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has collected more than 1.5 million trees over the past 16 years to be used as a fence to protect the state’s important coastal wetlands from erosion. These wetlands buffer the coast from storms and [...]

Alabama has over 180 different species of freshwater mussels in its rivers and streams. Freshwater mussels are bivalve organisms related to clams and oysters. They act as food for aquatic animals, fishes and birds, as well as some land mammals. Mussels are filter feeders, meaning they feed by taking in water, filtering out plankton (microscopic [...]

Did you know that the largest source of seafood for Texas is Galveston Bay? The finfish, oysters, crabs and shrimp harvested from the Bay are worth 19 million dollars annually! Unfortunately, one of the major sources of water pollution that affects these animals is soil carried away from yards, construction projects and other areas with exposed [...]

How important are Louisiana’s coasts?  Jobs related to the coast, including fishing, oyster production, and oil and gas production, account for over 55,000 jobs and billions of dollars in revenue for the state! One of the major sources of waterway pollution is soil carried away during rainstorms – soil can smother fish habitat, prevent plant [...]

More than 4.8 million metric tons (10.5 billion pounds) of sediment, small particles of sand and soil flow into the Mobile Bay Estuary each year! About one-third of that sediment stays in the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, about half flows into Mobile Bay and the rest makes it all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. Sediments [...]

According to the U.S. Geological Survey Marine and Coastal Geology Program, Louisiana’s wetlands are disappearing at a disturbing rate. Extending over 180 miles along the coast and 80 miles inland, Louisiana is home to about 40 percent of the wetlands in the continental United States, but represents about 80 percent of wetland losses. If Louisiana [...]

About 550 million tons of soil reaches the Gulf each year from the Mississippi river, enough to extend the coast of Louisiana 91 meters each year! Soils in Gulf waters can block sunlight that plants and animals need to survive, as well as transport nutrients and chemicals that are harmful to water quality. Viewer Tip: [...]

Did you know that Louisiana loses over 50 square miles of topsoil into the Gulf each year due to erosion? Viewer Tip: One way to prevent erosion is to plant native vegetation (plants that are well-adapted to your local climate) that will hold topsoil in place. There are plenty of different ways to design your [...]

Two-thirds of Alabama, as well as parts of Mississippi, Tennessee and Georgia, flow into the Mobile Bay from the Mobile River watershed. The Mobile River watershed has the fourth largest discharge rate in the U.S., with 62,500 cubic feet entering Mobile Bay per second! This large volume of water carries 4.7 million metric tons of [...]

Did you know that forests supply natural filtration and storage systems that process nearly two-thirds of the United States’ water supply? As population growth increases the demands on water supply, forest lands are declining through conversion to developed land to provide room for the growing population. When forests remain healthy and intact, they benefit our [...]

The distribution and health of underwater plants, such as seagrass, is closely tied to light availability. If the amount of light shining through the water is decreased, the size of the blades and the density of the grass thins and eventually entire beds of sea grass may be lost. Coastal development that is not properly [...]

Because Galveston Bay Watershed is home to Houston, the fourth-largest city in the U.S., water pollution is of special concern in this area. When it rains, rainwater carries a variety of pollutants from city surfaces into storm drains, rivers and bayous that eventually reach the Bay. These “non-point” sources of pollution include runoff from gas [...]

Mobile Bay’s commercial oyster reefs have been struggling to survive in recent years. After large portions were covered with sediment during Hurricanes Ivan and Katrina in 2005, two drought years created high salinity in the water. High salinity levels allowed a type of snail called the oyster drill, a threat to oysters, to flourish, decimating [...]