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38-598: Bayou Country may refer to: Bayou Country, a region in the Gulf Coast of the US where bayous are found Bayou Country (album) , a 1969 album by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival Bayou Country , formerly Critter Country, a themed land in Disneyland Park See also [ edit ] All pages with titles containing Bayou Country Topics referred to by

76-606: A direct result of the Deepwater horizon oil spill. This was determined by examining rates of wetland loss in the region from the year prior to the oil spill and contrasting that with the rates of wetland loss after the oil spill. The study noted significant land loss in regions not impacted by wave activity, further demonstrating that the land degradation was caused by oil rather than other sources of weathering from waves and cyclones. Other notable oil spills affecting bayous include 4,000 U.S. gallons (about 15,141.65 L) of oil spilling in

114-505: A great extent by its long established tourism industry but also by its position as a gateway to the Caribbean and Latin America . As of 2024, Texas and Florida are the second and third most populous states in the nation, respectively. Other areas of the Gulf Coast have benefited less, though economic development fueled by tourism has greatly increased property values along the coast, and is now

152-515: A lake near Bayou Sorrel in Louisiana and 20,000 U.S. gallons (about 75,708.24 L) of oil spilling into Saint Bernard Parish waters and the adjacent Bayou Bienvenue in Louisiana. Both incidents occurred in 2022. Oil spills harm bayous as oil is toxic to most animals. In vapor form, oil leads to lung, liver, and nervous system dysfunction if inhaled. Ingested oil poses threats to the digestive tract. Oil matts feathers and fur, resulting in disruptions in

190-649: A tropical climate. Much of the year is warm to hot along the Gulf Coast, while the three winter months bring periods of cool (or rarely, cold) weather mixed with mild temperatures. The area is highly vulnerable to hurricanes as well as floods and severe thunderstorms . Much of the Gulf Coast has a summer precipitation maximum, with July or August commonly the wettest month due to the combination of frequent summer thunderstorms produced by relentless heat and humidity, and tropical weather systems, including tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes , while winter and early spring rainfall also can be heavy. This pattern

228-441: A wetland system impacts its carbon exchange with the environment. Inhibiting a wetland's ability to sequester carbon further damages the status of the wetland as a carbon sink . This poses larger-scale issues as it alters the exchange of carbon dioxide with the atmosphere and environment. The use of pesticides in agriculture poses further threats to bayou ecosystems. A study conducted on three bayous (Cow Oak, Howden, Roundaway) in

266-519: Is a probable carcinogen , and it has been linked to adverse health effects in both humans and wildlife. Several oil spills have impacted bayou regions, including the Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010. This oil spill occurred off the Louisiana coast and resulted in the deaths of 11 people and the release of over 4.9 million barrels of oil into the ocean. The bayou wetlands of Bataria Bay, Louisiana experienced increased shoreline erosion as

304-463: Is also known to have been in use, as in "Pine Buyou", used in a description by Congress in 1833 of Arkansas Territory . As of 2016 "bye-you" US : / ˈ b aɪ . uː / is the most common pronunciation, while a few use "bye-oh" US : / ˈ b aɪ . oʊ / , although that pronunciation is declining. The term Bayou Country is most closely associated with Cajun and Creole cultural groups derived from French settlers and stretching along

342-709: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Bayou A bayou is often an anabranch or minor braid of a braided channel that is slower than the mainstem , often becoming boggy and stagnant. Though fauna varies by region, many bayous are home to crawfish , certain species of shrimp , other shellfish , catfish , frogs, toads , salamanders , newts , American alligators , American crocodiles , herons , lizards, turtles, tortoises , spoonbills , snakes, and leeches , as well as many other species. The word entered American English via Louisiana French in Louisiana and

380-461: Is evident in southern cites as Houston , New Orleans , Mobile, Alabama , and Pensacola, Florida . However, the central and southern Florida peninsula and South Texas has a pronounced winter dry season, as at Tampa and Fort Myers . On the central and southern Texas coast, winter, early spring and mid-summer are markedly drier, and September is the wettest month on average at Corpus Christi and Brownsville, Texas . Tornadoes are infrequent at

418-549: Is intersected by numerous rivers, the largest of which is the Mississippi River . Much of the land along the Gulf Coast is, or was, marshland . Ringing the Gulf Coast is the Gulf Coastal Plain , which reaches from Southern Texas to the western Florida Panhandle , while the western portions of the Gulf Coast are made up of many barrier islands and peninsulas , including the 130-mile (210 km) Padre Island along

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456-643: Is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico . The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Texas , Louisiana , Mississippi , Alabama , and Florida , and these are known as the Gulf States . The economy of the Gulf Coast area is dominated by industries related to energy, petrochemicals, fishing, aerospace, agriculture, and tourism. The large cities of

494-640: Is thought to originate from the Choctaw word bayuk , which means "small stream". After first appearing in the 17th century, the term is found in 18th century accounts and maps, often as bayouc or bayouque , where it was eventually shortened to its current form. The first settlements of the Bayou Têche and other bayous were founded by the Louisiana Creoles , and the bayous are commonly associated with Creole and Cajun culture. An alternative spelling, "buyou",

532-636: The Atlantic seaboard and the fourth largest in the U.S. overall. Two major events were turning points in the earlier history of the Gulf Coast region. The first was the American Civil War , which caused severe damage to some economic sectors in the South , including the Gulf Coast. The second event was the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 . At the end of the 19th century Galveston was, with New Orleans, one of

570-757: The Gulf Coast from Houston, Texas, to Mobile, Alabama, and picking back up in South Florida around the Everglades , with its center in New Orleans, Louisiana. The term may also be associated with the homelands of certain Choctaw tribal groups. Houston has the nickname "Bayou City". Anthropogenic influences have damaged bayou ecosystems over the years. Bayous are susceptible to pollution such as runoff from nearby urban communities (which can result in eutrophication ) and oil spills given their low-lying position in

608-461: The Port of Houston are two of the ten busiest ports in the world by cargo volume. As of 2004, seven of the top ten busiest ports in the U.S. are on the Gulf Coast. The discovery of oil and gas deposits along the coast and offshore, combined with easy access to shipping, have made the Gulf Coast the heart of the U.S. petrochemical industry . The coast contains nearly 4,000 oil platforms . Besides

646-454: The Gulf Coast was a natural magnet in the South providing access to shipping lanes and both national and international commerce. The development of sugar and cotton production (enabled by slavery ) allowed the South to prosper. By the mid-19th century the city of New Orleans , being situated as a key to commerce on the Mississippi River and in the Gulf, had become the largest U.S. city not on

684-605: The Gulf Coast was struck by a catastrophic hurricane. Due to its immense size, Hurricane Ike caused devastation from the Louisiana coastline all the way to the Kenedy County, Texas , region near Corpus Christi . In addition, Ike caused flooding and significant damage along the Mississippi coastline and the Florida Panhandle Ike killed 112 people and left upwards of 300 people missing, never to be found. Hurricane Ike

722-636: The Gulf Coast. In 2008 floods in Iowa destroyed the local Flood Museum which held materials from the Great Mississippi and Missouri Rivers Flood of 1993 . Before European settlers arrived in the region, the Gulf Coast was home to several pre-Columbian kingdoms which had extensive trade networks with empires such as the Aztecs and the Mississippi Mound Builders. Shark and alligator teeth and shells from

760-699: The Gulf have been found as far north as Ohio, in the mounds of the Hopewell culture. The first Europeans to settle the Gulf Coast were primarily the French and the Spanish . The Louisiana Purchase (1803), Adams–Onís Treaty (1819) and the Texas Revolution (1835–1836) made the Gulf Coast a part of the United States during the first half of the 19th century. As the U.S. population continued to expand its frontiers westward,

798-447: The Texas coast. These landforms protect numerous bays and inlets providing as a barrier to oncoming waves. The central part of the Gulf Coast, from eastern Texas through Louisiana, consists primarily of marshland. The eastern part of the Gulf Coast, predominantly Florida, is dotted with many bays and inlets. The Gulf Coast climate is humid subtropical, although Southwest Florida features

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836-521: The United States approximately $ 2.6 billion in relief efforts and caused at least seven deaths. By 2051, the cost of flood damage is expected to increase by 61%, or $ 32 billion. The Gulf Coast is a major center of economic activity. The marshlands along the Louisiana and Texas coasts provide breeding grounds and nurseries for ocean life that drive the fishing and shrimping industries. The Port of South Louisiana ( Metropolitan New Orleans in Laplace ) and

874-468: The above, the region features other important industries including aerospace and biomedical research , as well as older industries such as agriculture and — especially since the development of the Gulf Coast beginning in the 1920s and the increase in wealth throughout the United States ;— tourism . Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita have destroyed a number of museums and archives in

912-423: The animal's ability to insulate themselves in colder temperatures. Matted bird feathers lose properties that aid in flying and swimming. Such disruptions in individual adaptive ability may lead to trophic cascades in a bayou community.   Human development activities, such as the increase of impervious surfaces , results in quicker, high intensity flood pulses, delivering larger quantities of these nutrients to

950-622: The cities of New Orleans to Tampa. Due to the release of greenhouse gas emissions, glaciers and ice sheets are melting and expanding the oceans. The United States coastlines are projected to rise 1 foot in three decades or between 10 and 12 inches on average by 2050. The Gulf Coast will likely see the biggest change, with sea levels expected to rise between 14 and 18 inches. The Global and Regional Sea Level Rise Report predicted more frequent, major and destructive high tide flooding events along with taller storm surges by 2050 after scientists determined high tide flooding has been "increasingly common" over

988-429: The coast but do occur; however, they occur more frequently in inland portions of Gulf Coast states. Over most of the Gulf Coast from Houston, Texas , eastward, extreme rainfall events are a significant threat, commonly from tropical weather systems, which can bring 4 to 10 or more inches of rain in a single day. In August 2017, Hurricane Harvey made landfall along the central Texas coast, then migrated to and stalled over

1026-619: The ecosystem at a much more rapid rate. Impervious surfaces include roads, housing developments, and parking lots that replace natural vegetation, typically associated with human development and urbanization. When impervious surfaces are installed, the layer of soil that stores water is damaged/removed, resulting in a lack of permeable surfaces to absorb rainfall and floodwater. Bayous have experienced trends of land cover loss and conversion to impervious surfaces, of which has been associated with influxes of metals such as aluminum, copper, iron, lead, and zinc. Heavy metals in sediments and ultimately

1064-409: The greater Houston area for several days, producing extreme, unprecedented rainfall totals of over 40 inches (1,000 mm) in many areas, unleashing widespread flooding. Climate scientists predict more hurricanes for Florida and the Texas coastline in particular. Earthquakes are extremely rare to the area, but a 6.0 earthquake in the Gulf of Mexico on September 10, 2006, could be felt from

1102-445: The lower Mississippi River Basin found that the addition of nitrogen and phosphorus to sample mesocosms affected the decomposition of maize crop and willow oak detritus. While both species showed an increase in decomposition rate after N and P nutrient enhancement, the maize crop broke down faster than the native willow oak. The maize crop also had a significantly faster microbial respiration rate. The changes in microbial respiration of

1140-516: The major discoveries of oil in Texas and spurred on by further discoveries in the Gulf waters, has been a vehicle for development in the central and western Gulf which has spawned development on a variety of fronts in these regions. Texas in particular has benefited tremendously from this industry over the course of the 20th century and economic diversification has made the state a magnet for population and home to more Fortune 500 companies than any other U.S. state. Florida has grown as well, driven to

1178-483: The most developed cities in the region. The city had the third busiest port in the U.S. and its financial district was known as the "Wall Street of the South". Since then the Gulf Coast has been hit with numerous other hurricanes. On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast as a Category 3 hurricane. It was the most damaging storm in the history of the United States, causing upwards of $ 80 billion in damages, and leaving over 1,800 dead. Again in 2008

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1216-546: The past few years due to the rising sea levels. The impacts are expected to be dramatic. Low-lying coastal areas are expected to experience multiple factors, including increased levels of flooding, accelerated erosion, loss of wetlands and low-lying terrestrial ecosystems, and seawater intrusion into freshwater sources. Rising sea level and erosion will also imperil critical habitats for many commercially important fisheries that depend on inshore waters for either permanent residence or nursery area. In 2021 alone rising sea levels cost

1254-448: The region are (from west to east) Brownsville , Corpus Christi , Houston , Galveston , Beaumont , Lake Charles , Lafayette , Baton Rouge , New Orleans , Gulfport , Biloxi , Mobile , Pensacola , Panama City , St. Petersburg , and Tampa . All are the centers or major cities of their respective metropolitan areas and many of which contain large ports . The Gulf Coast is made of many inlets , bays , and lagoons . The coast

1292-423: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Bayou Country . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bayou_Country&oldid=1257493958 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

1330-504: The waters of bayous bioaccumulates in organisms to spread their toxins throughout various trophic levels. This harms both the health of individuals in that ecosystem as well as the humans who would be ingesting fish and other aquatic organisms with potential metal contamination. Gulf Coast The Gulf Coast of the United States , also known as the Gulf South or the South Coast ,

1368-690: The watershed. Many bayous have been cleared away by human activity as well (with those in Louisiana having shrunk by 1,900 square miles; 4,900 square kilometers since the 1930s). Farming activities introduce nutrients into bayou ecosystems. Row crop agricultural land use is common (75–86% of the bayou watershed) in Bayou watersheds given the unique physical characteristics like flat topography and alluvial soils. Agricultural activity results in byproducts of nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizers, which can drastically alter delicate balances in freshwater and marine ecosystems. A study conducted on 3 agricultural bayous in

1406-503: The western Mississippi River watershed found that pesticides released into bayou sediments cause significant impairment of the amphipod Hyalella azteca both spatially and temporally. Despite being banned 40 years ago in the United States by the Environmental Protection Agency, traces of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane ( DDT ), once used in agriculture as an insecticide, were found in sediment and amphipod tissue. DDT

1444-439: Was the third most damaging storm in the history of the United States, causing more than $ 25 billion in damage along the coast, leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless, and sparking the largest search-and-rescue operation in U.S. history. Other than the hurricanes, the Gulf Coast has redeveloped dramatically over the course of the 20th century. The gulf coast is highly populated. The petrochemical industry, launched with

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