The only bit of Louisiana’s coast that isn’t sinking
On a coastline that’s steadily sinking under the waves, the Wax Lake Delta is rising: which is a wonderful thing for researchers.Historically, every time humans try and mess with the Mississippi, there have been unintended consequences: and even though we can now model it fairly well, there are still surprises.
Thanks to Alex Kolker and all the team at LUMCON in Louisiana. Here’s more about his research: https://lumcon.edu/2017/10/20/land-building-in-a-river-delta-can-help-reduce-carbon-dioxide-emissions/
And if your institution subscribes, the paper on carbon storage in the Wax Lake Delta that he worked on is in Nature here: https://www.nature.com/articles/ngeo3044
Other references and further reading:
How humans sank New Orleans: How humans sank New Orleans: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/02/how-humans-sank-new-orleans/552323/
Retiring place names: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/02/24/us/jean-lafitte-floodwaters.html
Levee wars: https://www.propublica.org/article/deregulate-federal-levees-section-408-permit-secretive-lobbying-effort
Resettling the first American ‘climate refugees’: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/03/us/resettling-the-first-american-climate-refugees.html
CREDITS:
Edited by Michelle Martin https://www.youtube.com/@OnTheCrux
Audio mix by Graham Haerther https://haerther.net
Land and sea data and images from NOAA and NASA / Landsat, public domain
Aerial imagery from Google Earth, used with permission
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@TomScottGo
October 31, 2025 at 1:05 pm
This video involved thunderstorms, multiple microphone failures, a wet camera lens, and an hour-long speedboat trip through driving rain. I apologise for the technical errors, but frankly I'm amazed that it worked at all!
@Rocketryman
October 31, 2025 at 1:05 pm
That is a fun video, one thing, it is not film. There is not a single frame of emulsion anywhere near that camera. You are videoing, not filming. Film is chemistry, light, and physical reels of plastic running through a camera. What you are using are sensors, codecs, and memory cards, a completely different craft. 🙂
When people say film out of habit, they think they are being artistic, but they are really just repeating a leftover word from another era. In your case you are educating, and when you say it people assume it is what it is. It is like calling your Spotify playlist a record collection. The art is the same, but the medium changed. 🙂
Respect for the past means knowing what film was. Respect for the present means knowing what digital video is. We do not make films anymore, we still make movies, powered by digital video technology, and that is something to appreciate and stand up for. Over a century of highly skilled individuals poured their knowledge, creativity, and innovation into the technology you can now hold in the palm of your hand, surpassing anything film could ever do. ✌❤
@marionroark8237
October 31, 2025 at 1:05 pm
total lie, LA is not sinking
@wolfelkan8183
October 31, 2025 at 1:05 pm
You made the right call not wearing sandals. They'd've gotten stuck in the mud and you'd've never seen them again.
@XSemperIdem5
October 31, 2025 at 1:05 pm
The fact that he jumped in with regular shoes 😅
Maybe one of those suits for fly fishing would have worked well with the flooding.
@inspiredesign1930
October 31, 2025 at 1:05 pm
The pan following the flight of the heron is a great piece of accidental cinematography, well done.
@deleted-something
October 31, 2025 at 1:05 pm
fascinating
@rogueshadowunit4964
October 31, 2025 at 1:05 pm
This is horrifying honestly. The new land is cool and interesting but how much land has gone away is scary.
@Welcometothewild
October 31, 2025 at 1:05 pm
Hey, Tom, if you want to go out again off the coast of Louisiana, message me, I've got a boat and live about an hour away from the coast and would love to take you somewhere cool out here
@gayflower900
October 31, 2025 at 1:05 pm
I’m sorry, could you repeat that? I got distracted by my overwhelming urge to pick up and throw away that styrofoam cup
@23Fibonacci
October 31, 2025 at 1:05 pm
There were doubts as to where the silty river was going to go but now it’s settled.
@eyetok_alot
October 31, 2025 at 1:05 pm
Go study in the netherlands, water managment is the specialty here. we play with rivers already thousands of years
@oiomeme
October 31, 2025 at 1:05 pm
Unforsen consecuences
@BurgerKingnotofficial
October 31, 2025 at 1:05 pm
I me I person that lives in Baton Rouge Louisiana I like you telling people thxs
@instakillgaming
October 31, 2025 at 1:05 pm
Those planda are alocasia, highly sought after as house plants and have a very cool growth pattern
@tabr1728
October 31, 2025 at 1:05 pm
Hey I live there
@WaffleCake
October 31, 2025 at 1:05 pm
I would love a Fallout game set in New Orleans so hard. 😂
@nicspits9876
October 31, 2025 at 1:05 pm
Really curious to hear an update.
@kingbeanwatertheiii5234
October 31, 2025 at 1:05 pm
Can we just get unbought by america? We would have so much more land and we wouldn't be the worst state.
@throckmorton6677
October 31, 2025 at 1:05 pm
tom jumping in the water scared me because he didn't even thing to check for cottonmouth or water moccasins
@alyssagriffin5781
October 31, 2025 at 1:05 pm
LUMCON! One of my favorite group of scientists! If anyone can donate to LUMCON, please do! These people provide us Louisianans excellent knowledge and ways to protect our wildlife and coast!
@DaveyCrockett1
October 31, 2025 at 1:05 pm
Just so you're aware, the Great Barrier Reef is doing great and doesn't believe in climate change. GO!!
@ruffmansavageveteran1345
October 31, 2025 at 1:05 pm
Hopefully you tried the local BBQ and tried talking to regular people about life experiences and their prospectives.
@scronx
October 31, 2025 at 1:05 pm
So interesting and we could use a little good news for sure.
@kidwave1
October 31, 2025 at 1:05 pm
Lost ALL CREDIBILITY at precisely 4:12! …climate change fool!
@michaelgomez3044
October 31, 2025 at 1:05 pm
We don't have too much C02 in the atmosphere. C02 is not the enemy. Climate change garbage.
@blendpinexus1416
October 31, 2025 at 1:05 pm
too much co2 we gotta bury it……..or just plant more forests and plants. those suck up co2 and generate o2. also they make the concrete jungles we call a city more welcoming imo
@NoahGooder
October 31, 2025 at 1:05 pm
ok cool so this one area isnt sinking but the rest of it is including me. 😛
@brianscott3021
October 31, 2025 at 1:05 pm
Eliminating co2 limits the amount of plants that can live on the earth it’s a population control tat-tic carbon in the atmosphere
@bronzejourney5784
October 31, 2025 at 1:05 pm
Why not just filter the sediment out?
@abirabir9581
October 31, 2025 at 1:05 pm
Come to Bangladesh habibi…i will show u Padma…
@matthewkeen6281
October 31, 2025 at 1:05 pm
nice.
@scotthughes7440
October 31, 2025 at 1:05 pm
No wonder we have no top soil left….Stop fertlizing and using all those crappy soil modifers. Use cover crops instead. DUHHH people.. Big DUH..
@swarnimvajpai6373
October 31, 2025 at 1:05 pm
I read the title as why Louisiana's coast isn't STINKING. 😂
@odriew5014
October 31, 2025 at 1:05 pm
If the river is the problem feel free to pump all that water to the Midwest.
Comments are closed.