--- description: Scientists already knew the Louisiana coastline was sinking into the Gulf of Mexico, and fast. But not this fast. title: Louisiana's Coastline Is Sinking Faster Than We Thought image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3e84bc6dbcb2e2e8/6988d1f886f68e2b126e52f4/gettyimages-485203074.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Science](/section/science/) ## Science Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Louisiana's Coastline Is Sinking Faster Than We Thought by [Emily Weyrauch](/author/emily-weyrauch/) ## Emily Weyrauch Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 6:48 AM CUTPublished: Jun 15, 2017 10:12 PM CUT  Coastal waters flow through deteriorating wetlands on August 25, 2015 in Saint Bernard Parish, Louisiana. Coastal waters flow through deteriorating wetlands on August 25, 2015 in Saint Bernard Parish, Louisiana.Mario Tama—Getty Images by [Emily Weyrauch](/author/emily-weyrauch/) ## Emily Weyrauch Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 6:48 AM CUTPublished: Jun 15, 2017 10:12 PM CUT Scientists already knew the Louisiana coastline was sinking into the Gulf of Mexico, and fast. But not this fast. [Louisiana](http://time.com/4482109/climate-change-louisiana-flooding/ "undefined") is sinking into the sea — a geological process called ”subsiding” — at a rate of nine millimeters (just over a third of an inch) per year, according to a [new report and map](http://www.geosociety.org/gsatoday/groundwork/G337GW/article.htm "undefined") published by Geological Society of America. Earlier studies had called a subsiding of 8-10 millimeters per year a “worst case scenario.” The researchers combined data records from 274 sites across the Louisiana coastline. The average rate is much higher than previous estimates, and it still doesn’t include [sea level rise](http://time.com/4267963/sea-level-rise-james-hansen-climate-change/ "undefined") due to [climate change](http://time.com/4766881/paris-agreement-climate-change-trump/ "undefined"), which is up to an additional three millimeters per year and accelerating, according to Jaap Nienhuis, a fellow at Tulane University and the lead author of the report. Wetlands serve as crucial protection against hurricanes, in addition to their value to the ecology and fisheries of Louisiana, Nienhuis said. This subsiding process is due to both long-term geology and, more significantly, poor sediment management because of levees obstructing a natural river process. In the past century, Louisiana has experienced “catastrophic rates of wetland loss,” the report said — a loss “equivalent in area to the state of Delaware.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4820564/louisiana-coastline-sinking-climate-change/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4820564/louisiana-coastline-sinking-climate-change/"},"headline":"Louisiana's Coastline Is Sinking Faster Than We Thought","datePublished":"2017-06-15T22:12:35.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-13T06:48:53.000Z","description":"The rate is worse than what was previously considered a worst case scenario","url":"https://time.com/4820564/louisiana-coastline-sinking-climate-change/","keywords":["climate change","Louisiana","onetime","Science"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3e84bc6dbcb2e2e8/6988d1f886f68e2b126e52f4/gettyimages-485203074.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Emily Weyrauch","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/emily-weyrauch/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3e84bc6dbcb2e2e8/6988d1f886f68e2b126e52f4/gettyimages-485203074.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"New Orleans Prepares To Mark 10 Year Anniversary Of Hurricane Katrina","caption":"Coastal waters flow through deteriorating wetlands on August 25, 2015 in Saint Bernard Parish, Louisiana.","creditText":"Mario Tama—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4820564/louisiana-coastline-sinking-climate-change/","name":"Louisiana's Coastline Is Sinking Faster Than We Thought"}}]}] ```