The Mississippi Delta region comprises much of coastal Louisiana and adjacent Mississippi, stretching from the Atchafalaya Bay on the west to the Chandeleur Islands on the east, and includes the metropolitan area of New Orleans. The delta complex contains major river channels and levees, numerous bayous, swamps and marshes, lakes, tidal flats and channels, barrier islands, and shallow sea enviroments. Water chemistry grades from fresh to brackish to marine. The climate is subtropical; freezing conditions occur rarely, almost never near the coast. The major climatic events are hurricanes that strike the region every few decades, and floods derived from upstream runoff. Economic activities include shipping, traditional fishing and farming enterprises, as well as oil production and petrochemical processing. Recreation and tourism are likewise quite siginificant for the local economy.
Source Photos: Chasiti Moore
