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All content in this area was uploaded by Joshua D. Kent on Aug 14, 2015
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Map ID: 850
GOVERNMENT—PUBLIC SAFETY
Southern Louisiana Subsidence Vulnerability Estimates
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
By Joshua D. Kent, Clifford J. Mugnier,
Randy Osborne, Larry Dunaway, and J.
Anthony Cavell
Contact
Joshua D. Kent
jkent4@lsu.edu
Software
ArcGIS 10.2.2 for Desktop, Microsoft Excel
Data Sources
Landsat 5 TM, National Elevation Dataset,
Technical Report 50
Accurate, reliable, and consistent elevation infor-
mation contributes to informed decisions for
a wide range of important activities, including
mapping and charting, determining ood risk,
transportation, land use planning and manage-
ment, environmental management, economic
development, coastal sustainability, and engi-
neering design. In no place is this more critical
than Louisiana. Combined with sea level rise,
Louisiana is facing unprecedented rates of land
loss—up to a football eld every hour— contrib-
uting to an increased risk from ooding hazards.
A report recently published by the National
Research Council projects signicant annual
ood losses for New Orleans. In fact, New Orleans
ranks fourth in the world for ood loss. This map
reveals the extent and the consequences of long-
term subsidence. It also makes clear that, if trends
continue unmitigated, coastal subsidence and
land loss will threaten sustainability in Louisiana.
Courtesy of Louisiana State University.