PREFACE 



This report is one of a series of 

 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Community 

 Profiles synthesizing the available liter- 

 ature for selected critical ecosystems 

 into comprehensive and definitive refer- 

 ence sources. The objective of this 

 particular account is to review the infor- 

 mation available on the marshes of the 

 Mississippi River Deltaic Plain. The 

 river system is the largest in North 

 America. It drains an area of 3,344,560 

 km^. Over the past 5,000 years the river 

 has built a delta onto the continental 

 shelf of the Gulf of Mexico covering about 

 23,900 km^. This low land is primarily 

 marshes and represents about 22 percent of 

 the total coastal wetland area of the 48 

 conterminous United States. The delta is 

 notable for its high primary productivity, 

 its valuable fishery and fur industry, and 

 the recreational fishing and hunting it 

 supports. 



At the same time, the Mississippi 

 River Deltaic Plain marshes are subject to 

 the unique problem of extremely rapid 



marsh degradation due to a complex mixture 

 of natural processes and human activities 

 that include worldwide sea-level rise; 

 subsidence; navigation and extractive 

 industry canal dredging; flood control 

 measures that channel the river; and 

 pollution from domestic sewage, exotic 

 organic chemicals, and heavy metals. 



The future of the marshes in this 

 region is in jeopardy, and if they are to 

 be saved, it is important to know how they 

 function and what measures can be taken to 

 arrest the present trends. 



Any questions or comments about this 

 publication or requests for the report 

 should be directed to the following 

 address. 



Information Transfer Specialist 

 National Coastal Ecosystems Team 

 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

 NASA/SI idell Computer Complex 

 1010 Gause Boulevard 

 SI idell, LA 70458 



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