New Orleans a "Time Bomb" as Sea Level Rise Puts City in Danger

Residents of New Orleans are being warned that now may be the time to start the process of relocating. But why? A new study is shedding light on why the Gulf Coast city is in danger of falling to the threat of sea level rise. Read on for why scientists are sounding the alarm bell.

Study Results Warn That New Orleans is Sinking

New Orleans has long been recognized as one of the most important cultural hubs in the U.S. The city that sits in the middle of the Louisiana bayou is best known for its Creole food, haunted graveyards, jazz music, and lively Bourbon Street party scene. However, this legendary city is now under threat as water coming in from the Gulf of Mexico causes the land to sink.

A new study published in the journal Nature Sustainability predicts that the Big Easy could be surrounded by the advancing waters of the Gulf of Mexico within the next few decades. Researchers wrote that, "While climate mitigation should remain the first step to prevent the worst outcomes, coastal Louisiana has evidently already crossed the point of no return."

The southern coast of Louisiana is expected to see between 3 and 7 meters of sea-level rise in the years ahead. This is in addition to the predicted loss of as much as 75% of the coastal wetlands of the state.

The loss of land is being observed at an alarming rate. Louisiana has already lost about 2,000 square miles of land dating back to the 1930s. For context, this equates to about the size of Delaware. The region continues to lose roughly a football field's worth of size every 100 minutes as the land begins to sink under the advancing waters from the Gulf.

The city of New Orleans and the surrounding area invested billions of dollars into its levees and flood protection systems after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. However, even that degree of investment might not be enough to mitigate the impending creep of water.

According to Jesse Keenan, co-author of the study, "In paleo-climate terms, New Orleans is gone. The question is how long it has."

Climate Change to Blame for Sea Level Rise Around New Orleans

Approximately 360,000 people call the city of New Orleans home. The cultural roots of this southern community run deep. Some historians point to the city as being the most culturally unique area of the country.

Despite its rich history, New Orleans is not likely to withstand what is being billed as one of the highest sea level rises throughout the entire world. The authors of the study warn that there is only so much that humans can do to fight against the rising tide, calling the city "a time bomb."

Climate change is largely to blame for the problem facing New Orleans. The ocean waters are rising as heat-trapping pollution from human activities impacts several coastal cities around the planet. The impacts are being felt in the form of more powerful hurricanes, higher storm surge events, and quickly disappearing wetlands.

Not only do the impacts of the human-caused global warming increase insurance costs, but they also put public health at risk. Scientists have been recommending that local officials launch a managed retreat. This is defined as a coordinated effort to assist communities in slowly relocating away from the greatest threats before it becomes too late to safely do so.

There has also been a joint effort among community officials to restore the Louisiana wetlands by redirecting the sediment produced by the Mississippi River so that sinking areas can be rebuilt. While this is a good idea in theory, the projects often face a number of financial and political challenges that make them difficult to implement.

The study's authors offer detailed feedback on what they think would help address the issue the most. Keenan noted that the exodus is already beginning; however, it is not being conducted on a macro level by local officials. Instead, it is becoming what he says is an "uncoordinated mess" as residents trickle out of the impacted region.

Rather than waiting until the next major flooding event, Keenan and the other researchers are urging local officials to help residents migrate farther north and to invest in long-term infrastructure upgrades. These coordinated and collaborative responses will make the area livable in concrete and sustainable ways rather than waiting until chaos strikes.

The data unveiled in the study offers reassurance that some of the protective infrastructure already in place will remain viable for years. However, this is not the case in some of the most vulnerable areas. This is why it is vital that communities not put this issue on the back burner. Having a plan will help to protect some of the country's most vulnerable coastal regions so that they do not become uninhabitable.

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