The mighty Mississippi River has long been bound by humanity’s efforts. To keep the river in place and control its flooding, engineers have built levees, canals, and other structures. But those efforts have come with costs. Where the wild Mississippi used to deposit sediment and build new land, the bound river sends its sediment out to sea, contributing to wetland erosion. But sometimes the river still exerts its own control.
In 2012, around the time of Mardi Gras, the river broke through its eastern bank (near an existing canal) and created a new channel to the Gulf of Mexico. Known as Mardi Gras Pass, this distributary waterway now contributes fresh sediment, nutrients, and water to the Louisiana wetlands. Despite its small size, observations indicate that the Mardi Gras Pass is, indeed, helping to build new land in the area. (Image credit: J. Stevens; via NASA Earth Observatory)