Earth from Space: Deep South Delta This Landsat image of 3
October 2011 shows the Mississippi River Delta, where the
largest river in the United States empties into the Gulf of
Mexico. In this false-colour image, land vegetation appears
pink, while the sediment in the surrounding waters are bright
blue and green. The delta is known as the ‘bird-foot’ delta
because of the shape created by the channels extending outward.
The size of the Mississippi River Delta built over millions of
years owing to sediment deposition. The tons of sediment carried
by the river system created the wetlands in southern Louisiana,
which are home to many endangered species and help to protect
the mainland from hurricane winds by acting like speed bumps.
Over the last several decades, however, the delta’s sediment
load has been drastically reduced by natural and man-made
factors. Extensive oil and gas extraction causes the subsidence
of the delta and wetlands, and rising sea levels increase
erosion as the fresh water vegetation dies d