Relative sea level rise in Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico: 1980-88.

Data from two tide gage networks along the northern Gulf of Mexico (that of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and of the National Ocean Survey) were analyzed to determine local and regional trends in relative sea level rise. All of the records used encompass over 36 years, and some date back to 1908. The average rate of relative sea level rise calculated for Louisiana is more than five times the average for the Gulf of Mexico. The rapid rate can be attributed to the compactional subsidence of the Mississippi River delta plain.