California restoration project turns sinking farmland into wetlands
Climate Connections

California restoration project turns sinking farmland into wetlands

B2Upper-intermediateOctober 21, 20261 min
  • Documentary
  • Science

The Nature Conservancy is flooding portions of a delta island to slow land subsidence and create habitat for wildlife. Learn more at https://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/

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The land in California's Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is sinking rapidly, and

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Hundreds of years ago, the area was mostly a wetland, where waterlogged plants slowly

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0:00

I'm Dr. Anthony Leiserwitz and this is Climate Connections. The land in California's Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is sinking rapidly, and in the process, it's releasing a lot of climate-warming carbon dioxide. Hundreds of years ago, the area was mostly a wetland, where waterlogged plants slowly

0:21

broke down into carbon-rich peat soil. But today it looks totally different. It's now a network of islands, many of which are 10 to 25 feet below sea level. Sydney Chamberlain of the Nature Conservancy says the main reason for this change is agriculture.

0:38

Starting in the 1800s, levees were installed, and much of the land was drained to create islands where farmers could grow crops such as corn. When you take water off of peat soils, processes in the soil cause it to release carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas, and makes the land subside or sink.

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