Photo: Hurricane Katrina's Ecological Legacy: Lost Swamps, Crops, Islands

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The Gulf Islands National Seashore includes barrier islands that have historically served as the U.S. Gulf Coast's major natural protection from hurricanes.

But the islands have taken a beating from storms over the years, and canals and levees along the Mississippi River prevent fresh sediment deposits from being laid down and building the islands back up.

Photograph courtesy National Park Service

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