The only bit of Louisiana's coast that isn't sinking
VloĆŸit
- Äas pĆidĂĄn 8. 09. 2019
- 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: lumcon.edu/2017/10/20/land-bu...
And if your institution subscribes, the paper on carbon storage in the Wax Lake Delta that he worked on is in Nature here: www.nature.com/articles/ngeo3044
Other references and further reading:
How humans sank New Orleans: How humans sank New Orleans: www.theatlantic.com/technolog...
Retiring place names: www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...
Levee wars: www.propublica.org/article/de...
Resettling the first American 'climate refugees': www.nytimes.com/2016/05/03/us...
CREDITS:
Edited by Michelle Martin (@mrsmmartin)
Audio mix by Graham Haerther 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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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!
Tom Scott that's okay, video will be amazing as always
1 month ago, wow!
1 month ago? Time traveler confirmed
how
Next video: "I'm standing here, a month in the past to examine why time travel is not all it's cracked up to be."
Tom: is skinny. Is wearing a red shirt. Is in Baton Rouge. Tom is a Baton Rouge.
Best comment
Unfortunately he's not French.
this is the worst comment I've seen in a while I love it
Ser Garlan Tyrell Britain is a part of Europe. France is a part of Europe. Checkmate atheists.
@@yeeturmcbeetur8197 I think you'll find Britain actually has plans to saw itself off of Europe and move to somewhere off the coast of Maine
Those maps showing the change in coastline over time were incredible striking.
IKR. Now consider that the ~~Senators~~ Congressmen who represent that area are largely pro-industry, anti-science, climate change deniers.
@@NickleJ
Isn't south Louisiana mostly democrat
@@Reub3 It's _very_ conservative, except for New Orleans (where I currently live).
Climate change is coming whether or not we like it. Yes the Republicans arenât helping but the DemoRats wonât do anything either.
Did you know only about 14 percent of global CO2 emissions come from the USA? And with India and China and Southeast Asia and Africa etc all rapidly expanding their CO2 emissions, realistically it doesnât matter if we try and tank our economy to stop warming, it is barely going to make a dent.
We just have to accept that we will need to deal with the consequences, which in a broad general sense means people moving inland and further north.
@@ifbfmto9338 I think you are viewing climate change as a binary 'does-or-doesn't-happen' event. All CO2 has an environmental and economic cost that only goes up as CC progresses, and likewise there is positive value in reducing emissions that must be added to your calculus. Even policy that merely reduces the rate of increase is valuable. There is no dichotomy between _"tanking our economy"_ and _spending on environment._ One does not necessarily lead to the other and even if it did, we could presumably then only do half or a quarter of the actions you think will ruin our economy. There's a mountain of good, viable, market-powered ideas for reducing emissions that conservatives and dems should be able to agree on.
Venice: " so you're telling me there's a chance?"
I think it'll be amazing in a few hundred years, when Venice has just as much city underwater as it does above it! Think of archaeologists scuba diving into the "old old city" to see how people lived when the city was founded.
Urrrgghhh. Scuba diving in what basically equates to sewer water.... but yes Iâm always wondering what modern archeology in a few hundred years will dig up about us.
@@ReptilianLepton Or literally anywhere that doesn't have access to the sea. When i dive in freshwater lakes not only is there just trash laying on the bottom sometimes, but i sometimes wish i brought a shovel down there, because water at some point becomes so full of sediment that you can't even see your own arms
Dams are being built around the Venetian lagoon so sea levels rising shouldn't have much of an effect on Venice
@@micahphilson
I've since something like that on National Geographic or a similar program years ago. I can't seem to find it now, but they were diving somewhere with at least 2 stories of old buildings underwater and newer construction on top.
Kind of irrelevant, but Baton Rouge might be one of my favourite place names in the world. I know it just means red stick, but the connotations of the words in the name make it sound so magically fantastically theatrical, I can't get over it.
What are the connotation of Baton Rouge
Rouge the Baton
And the red stick in question... is here tonight! *camera tracks to the door and zooms in
"Red Stick" was common Southern expression for going to war. See the Red Stick Creeks.
Louisiana is full of awesome place names due to the combination of French, Spanish, and Amerindian influence - Atchafalaya, Opelousas, Houma, Thibodeaux, Mamou, Breaux Bridge, Slidell, Calcasieu, Tangipahoa, and so forth.
It's amazing how you look 15, 25 and 40 at the same time.
Explain.
Don't explain.
It's called being in your thirties
Itâs amazing how people make this same comment on every single one of his videos
And 60
"There's mud in my shoes" Ah, the Louisiana experience.
225 REPRESENT!!!
dont forget the crawfish boil
I remember you made a video called "The Mississippi River Wants To Move". 5 and a half years on and you're back in roughly the same place (for a part of the video) as you were in the original.
You've gone full circle.
I came looking for this comment... For a moment I had a feeling of Deja Vu.
Would that be a water cycle, then?
*Pud dum tiss*
I was watching that video earlier today...
Did I miss the mississippi video?
Looks like Tom really plans ahead with his videos...
Not enough to wear wellies though.
you mean visiting during hurricane season ?
@@AngelSamael Not so fun when you go to take a step and your boots (wellies) stay behind in the mud. đ I think it is best to use canvas shoes (easy to clean) and expect to get your feet wet.
Or waders.
Itâs Louisiana you can go from 10% chance of rain to 100% chance in 20 minutes
Louisianan viewer her, Itâs interesting how most people donât know about the ecological disasters the state is facing. Thank you for informing.
It's so weird seeing Tom in a place I've been.
Itâs so weird seeing Tom in a place I live. đ
Truly
@@Udontkno7 username checks out
Even weirder seeing in the place _I live_
I'm up north of that
Uploaded 13 seconds ago, Tom's pinned comment from a month ago.
What the hell. How come?!
Those British people are sure good at time travelling.
@@TheGudsProduction most likely uploaded a month ago but only made public now
Patreon?
@@joshuahawkes7218 I see
"I'm standing here in a place that nobody knows about except for a few people. Those few people that do know about it don't care about it. After learning about this place and discussing it with those few people I've decided to document this place and share it with you."
Thank you, Tom. I really do love these videos, even if I hate how much I love them.
Dear god Tom, why would you step into water with denim jeans on
These things were originally designed for such work
You don't expect him to jump in butt naked, do you?
Tom don't caare
stavros343 thog doesnât either
@@MickeyD2012 But that's what we want
As a Baton Rouge resident, the Polar Pop cup was so perfect.
good video, i don't mind the quality. i mind the information. and that's always excellent in tom's videos.
Tom: Iâm going to do a video on the only Louisiana coastline thatâs not sinking. However I started sinking into the coastline and we came here during a thunderstorm and in the middle of hurricane season
In hindsight this episode could have ended badly
Are you really telling me Tom Scott was in Louisiana and I didn't get to see him
Tom Scott: uploads something water-related
Me: let's scroll down to find the Dutch comments
Yes, it happens everytime :D
yes thanks for the intro! I also study geology btw. The easiest story would be to not interfere with such delta's to much but there are already people living there of course. The most important and undeniable fact however is that the Mississippy just has to make an avulsion like it should have done some 400 years ago. oh and also, the overflowing of the coastline will happen anyway just a bit faster due to agriculture.
Edit: I mainly meant overflowing due to continental subsidence but that timescale might be a little out of reach.
Leeuwarden Captial of water technology
I N G E P O L D E R D
"i've sunk about an inch into the mud, and it's in my shoes" welcome to Louisiana :D
The juxtaposition of Tomâs red shirt and the dark green flora surrounding him is both incredible and absolutely hilarious
Good job, Tom!!!
Also, I enjoyed your tracking-shot of the bird from 0:55 to 1:03
Tom, I really want to thank you. My grandpa passed away last week and your videos have helped me to get a little bit of distraction from the whole sad mess, even if it's just a couple of minutes. I really loved my grandpa and I really can't describe in words the level of sadness I experience.
Once again I really want to thank you for making these cool little videos!
@LaBelle424242 Thank you very much
I mean, you could've also gotten rubber boots...
"Always wear rubbers on your feet" - BoggyBolt 2019
Being Louisiana, there had to be plenty of white shrimp boots around.
@Trevor Philips pro comment
@Trevor Philips for Tom it would have been wellies (or wellington boots if you want to be formal).
Iâll be honest I had no idea this channel would completely blow up, Iâve always loved it but Iâm shocked itâs become as popular as it is. Brilliant. Good video.
So glad that tom is covering this subject. Coastal erosion is such an issue in southern Louisiana, and im fascinated to see oddities such as the delta forming off of the bottom of terrabonne parish. Another one that could be briefly shown at 2:20 but not covered is the town of Chenere and Grand isle. Right under the bridge now is a large sandbar that seemingly built up out of nowhere after the BP oil spill and is now supporting bird and sea life. I personally have no idea how the sand built up in the spot that it did but i would love to know how sediment from the Mississippi flowing through the Barataria bay could help regrow Grand isle, Grand terre, and surrounding barrier islands.
Tom, please don't go into flood with sandals. You'll get fungi infection on your feet. Wear boots, it's safer.
well that's a river. its not standing water!
Or worse, introduce a foreign fungus to the environment which adapts and chokes plant life
Really? I've never heard of this. Never gotten it either despite walking in marsh in canvas shoes.
@@Cillana same
> don't go into flood with sandals. You'll get fungi infection on your feet. Wear boots, it's safer.
Better, wear hip waders. Unless you step of a ledge, you will be safe from the muddy water and everything in it. Excepting gators, of course.
this is one of the coolest videos I've seen in a while. something so entirely mystical about the river eroding uncontrollably yet giving birth to more land. I don't know how the heck you keep giving such pristine, top tier content, honestly.
Baton Rouge resident here. Great video. I actually live near false river in Pointe Coupee, a part of the Mississippi in the past that was cut off and became a lake.
Oxbow lakes
@@genli5603 yes indeed. An oxbow
I was just amazed that so much silt and sediment could actually be deposited at the river mouth over time and eventually form a delta.
that's so cool! i remember camping out at LUMCON with my boy scout troop when i was in high school! we didn't specifically learn about wax lake but we learned a lot about louisiana's coastal subsidence and erosion! it's cool to see you transmitting those lessons across the internet for everyone else to see as well!
0:46 if you look closely, you can see crocodiles swimming with leaves as disguise
this is one of those youtube channels where every video is wholeheartedly interesting, and worth your time to watch, great job Tom!.
This was a great video! Thanks, Tom, and hopefully you had some of the wonderful regional food from Louisiana while you were there! (I'm a Texan, but my late father was born in a small town in Louisiana, I still have relatives there, and we are soon to have a family reunion (though WAY north of the delta), up near Many, LA. (Pronounced "Man-E", for those not from this area.) Thumbs up.
Ah Tom, as always a great and really informative video. Love your enthusiasm for teaching people little things they might not have known. Together with the amazing places and the game shows, your channel is definitely my recent favourite.
I cannot believe you just jumped in without waders.
Welcome to cajun country Tom! Hope you had some boudin and crawfish!
Justin canât wait for crawfish season, I missed out this past year; never again!
Went vegetarian a little over a year ago and every crawfish season that passes by just makes me sad that I canât taste it dhejdbsksn
You always take us to such amazing places, Tom!
The transition from water to mud is so gradual that there is not a definite bottom. I have over topped my boots many times. And thanks for coming back to my hometown.
Fascinating. Wish the video was longer. As a conservationist here in the US, the sinking of Louisiana has been very concerning. Knowing that there is a place where land is being added is nice to hear.
It's great that there's a lot of work to build diversions and areas where the river can "flood" safely. We just need to find ways to strategically place those sort of diversions in areas experiencing the worst erosion.
Dude, I'm glad you're back in my home state; you went to my home city the last time you made a video here.
New Mexico: "I heard thunder, stay away from the trees." LA: "I heard thunder, we're going to drown."
my socks felt wet watching the beginning
Congrats on the quality video despite the challenges, Tom. I truly enjoy your content.
0:44 I think MI7s secret scuba team area after you, I they brought their best camouflage
Hey Tom, really like your videos. You should come to Finland to see the earth rising after the last ice age. For example in my hometown the sea is now 20km further where it was originally.
Whole of the Baltic sea!
@James Sloan Dude, people started measuring it in the 18th century.
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!
Great and fascinating video as always, Tom! Love your videos! â€ïž
Wonderful and interesting video as always, and hey the technical issues spice things up a bit... I suppose
Tom: *blasting at probably 30km/hr on a boat.
Same Tom: It's quite windy
Me: Duh!
đ€
Ironic, too, because there was literally no wind at all.
This is a wonderful explanation of an interesting topic that I knew nothing about before. The maps were very informative and I appreciate you really getting shoe-deep in the details.
Avulsion... Love learning new words and concepts. New to your vids today and subscribed - great presentation, excellent explanations and brilliant diction!
Thank you for sacrificing your shoes for us Tom!
Hey Louisiana, good luck with your coast recreation efforts! Greetings from a European soon to be Water Manager! đ
Tom , when you made a video on the Baton Rouge Levee a few years ago, in nearly the exact same place, I had always hoped you would come back. I know the place you stood may not mean much to you but my high school was only a block away if you managed to see it with the bright mural on the side! That levee holds so many memories, even though some of them were a good 12 feet underwater while you were there. It made me unbelievably happy to see you make a video in our stomping grounds and give this issue the thought and attention it needs :)
Holy crap, never thought I'd see you in my neck of the woods! It's exciting to see places where you live showing up in videos like this :D
I never heard anyone pronounce Atchafalaya River, though I have read the name many times.
Many Louisiana place names are French in origin or heavily influenced by French, so they don't always sound the way they're spelled in the English language.
and the A at the beginning of the word isn't pronounced, especially if you're from New Iberia
Ah-chah-fuh-lie-yuh.
It's pronounced Atchafalaya
thomas buckley damn right we donât pronounce the a
Kind of surprised by this, thanks for sharing
Tom Scott always brings such informative content about things I never thought to think about
You visited LUMCON! I took summer classes there and field trips from LSU classes. Watching the sun set and rise over the marsh from the observation tower is wonderful. đ
Hi Tom! I'm really curious how you hear about issues like these being English. Your sources of information must be fascinating; I find it interesting the sort of topics you decide to film and present when they seem so innocuous and out of the way (imagine caring about an issue in Louisianna when you're from the UK!).
heres how people are going to react:
"Ooo new place to build realestate, lets drain the land and start building"
*building sinks and land floods a any major weather
*suprise pikachu face
"oh government please help me, im failing because i built on flood lands"
It's more like : "Zoning laws forced me to build in a flood plain, it was literally illegal to build in a safer place"
king peter That's exactly what happens where I live, but here its all the rick people that build their house next to the river and then get mad at the city when it floods and the city uses the taxpayer's money to divert the river away and they get mad because the river is lower
Hi my name is FEMA how can I assist you... đ€Łđ€Łđ€Łđđđ
@@Thumbsupurbum Provide even *ONE* PROPERLY DOCUMENTED example where zoning laws FORCED someone to build in the way of an impending flood or shut your stupid mouth.
I really appreciate that you provide closed captions đ
Itâs good to see you doing stuff on my home town! If I would have known you were coming to BR, I woulda freaked! Great video on the coastline of Louisiana too, itâs something that we talk a fair bit.
*Any folks here from Louisiana??*
Mais oui â
Chiming in from Gretna.
Here from marrero :)
2:54 Was that an All the Station reference, or is that just what all British people do when filming on a windy boat ride?
That is a typical example of the classic British understatement and our tendency to state the obvious. Would have only been topped if he'd said something like "a bit breezy".
@@durhamdavesbg4948 Of course the confusing thing here for Americans is that in the UK we use "quite" to mean "less than normal" but in the US they use it to mean "more than normal". I.e. "quite windy" in the UK means a little breeze but in the US means a gale. So Tom saying "quite windy" is him being sarcastic by saying it isn't that windy when it really is, but to a US ear it might just sound like he's saying it's very windy when it's obviously very windy...
@@andymcl92 I would say the meaning of quite is technically the same, but we use it for sarcastic understatement so much it's blurred most of the meaning from it.
High quality upload Tom, good job.
I get so excited when a youtuber I watch covers content based in my home! I'm just across the lake from NOLA and js it would've been a dream to see you.
When you realize Tom was just in your state...
IKR? Must've been just before Barry came along.
Yea same here
IKR im a Baton rouge native that was surreal seeing him downtown
Judging by the age of the pinned comment, this was a month ago
đ
I got an Ecosia ad before this video. Checks out.
Great video Tom! During your visit, I hope you were able to try the excellent cuisine of South Louisiana!
You came to my hometown! Glad to see you made it out safe!
The Dutch can fix the problem of sinking in days.
Wrong. Batavia and dos.
Zeker waar makker
G E K O L O N I S E E R D
Actually, I remember more than a few news reports of Dutch delegations visiting New Orleans to talk about flood control.
*DELTAWERKEN INTENSIFIES*
As a Dutchman (so from a culture based upon battling water) with a girlfriend from Louisiana, I found this very interesting. Cheers Tom!
Also, if Louisiana needs help with that battle...just ask us how to do it ;)
Wij hebben de hulp van de hele wereld nodig, vooral van Nederland.
Help alsjeblieft. Amerika zal ons sterven laten.
good video, thanks, keep up this kind of stuff. I appreciate it.
As usual an excellent video. Off topic, how was the food.
Isnt' that the same levy you used in your last video about the Mississippi?
He's a few hundred feed north/up river, but yea, same levee, same city
I'm now curious what the most balanced solution would be to both protect cities and towns that are already there while letting the river flow more naturally.
Tom, I love your channel. One of the best in the internet.
Wow! You were near my home and I didn't even know it. Cocodrie, where lumcon is located, is my favorite fishing areađ
Hey, that interview with the guy was in cocodrie!
Hopefully this time they will keep the oil companies from digging straight canals, as opposed to naturally occurring meandering waterways, through the reclaimed land.
That footage with the bird flying in the background ⥠Turned out great!
I'm very surprised that you visited my home town! I hope you had a nice time!
All I'm thinking during this video is "...alligators...?!"
Nah... with all that rain the gators will be hiding out waiting for the sun to reappear.
@@dannybeeson5084 Why do they hide because of rain?
@@whuzzzup cools them down too much so they conserve energy
@James Sloan I see, thank you.
Those helipads are huge!
Also swamps and deltas are very useful eco systems to maintain.
Edit: Damn spell check doesn't know what Lily-pads are. :*(
Helipads? Where? Watching the video again...
@@Cillana I'm guessing autocorrect butchered "lilypad".
Elephant ears
@@dehydratedwater4803 are Elephant ears a spelling error you seen?
@@kairon156 what you called lilypads are elephant ears. At least that's what we call them in south Louisiana. They're not actually a lily, they're a tuber.
0:55 Who else noticed the gorgeous Snowy Egret in the background?
Interesting stuff Tom!
It is said about the Missouri River that âit is to thick to drink, but too thin to plough.â
"How am I supposed to run in these marrowy clogs ?"
What did you use to film this video? Amazing quality imo.
Glad to see a video done basically in my home town! I fish not far from where you were.
Louisiana is such a wonderful environment. Shame it's not being taken care of.
Me: *waits*
Guy: Morgan City.
Me: AYEEEEEEE!!!!
The pan following the flight of the heron is a great piece of accidental cinematography, well done.
Ahhh you came to Baton Rouge!! Would have loved to meet you!! Love this video....just like all the rest.
"Mississippi river, so muddy that I laid railroad tracks on it"- "Pothole" McDuck. Sorry had to do it when you talked about how murky it was, Tom.
Louisiana gang wya
I live in Denham Springs Louisiana 1 mile from Baton Rouge and this guys telling the absolute truth. We flood a lot here but we are grateful for are state and love it very much!
Thank you for posting about my environment. Itâs amazing to me that a British dude would even care that much about learning about it. You really like to learn dude. Everything you said is what have been told.