Louisiana land loss, 1932-2050

Coastal Louisiana has lost an average of 34 square miles of land, primarily marsh, per year for the last 50 years. From 1932 to 2000, coastal Louisiana lost 1,900 square miles of land, roughly an area the size of the state of Delaware. If nothing more is done to stop this land loss, Louisiana could potentially lose approximately 700 additional square miles of land, or an are about equal to the size of the greater Washington D.C.–Baltimore area, in the next 50 years. The Land Loss between 1932-2000 is historical. The land loss between 2000-2050 is projected based on historical trending if no further action is taken.

Louisiana Coast Land Loss, Over 100 Years of Land Change for Coastal Louisiana Including Hurricane Assessments of 2005, USGS National Wetlands Research Center Lafayette and Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA) Land Change Study Group