Photo by @deppphoto: Rock walls are used to slow erosion of a barrier island in Cameron Parish. Louisiana’s barrier islands are some of the fastest eroding shorelines in the world, at rates of up to 30 feet per year. *** Every year, the Louisiana coast loses more than 25 square miles. Oil companies have cut 10,000 miles of canals through Louisiana’s wetlands, which accelerate salt-water intrusion into the bayous. Salt water kills plant roots that would otherwise hold the soil from washing away. The over-engineering of the Mississippi River restricts sediment deposits that would otherwise naturally rebuild the wetlands. Sea level rise further accelerates erosion. I fly above this vanishing landscape looking for the spaces where the geometric patterns of human enterprise - canals, oil platforms, pipelines and roads - collide with nature’s organic forms. On a powered paraglider, I can capture images between ten and two thousand feet above ground. See this work in person at A Gallery for Fine Photography in New Orleans now through June 1. #aerialphotography #paragliding #notadrone #coastalerosion #landloss #gulfcoast #louisiana #southeastLouisiana #wetlands #everydayclimatechange : @smithsonianmagazine