| The greater Houston-Galveston Bay area, like most major metropolitan areas in the United States, has had its share of problems. One of the region's most extensive problems is land subsidence. Subsidence, caused by activities such as ground water pumping and oil and gas extraction, has led to damage of industrial and transportation infrastructure, investments of levees, reservoirs, and surface-water distribution facilities, and substantial loss of wetland habitats.
The loss of these wetlands directly and indirectly affects the many bay and ocean species that rely on these habitats for protection and food. The wetlands also help to prevent tidal and storm erosion by mediating the force delivered to uplands and through the deposition of sediments.
The USGS Galveston Bay Project will assist in the distribution and access to data and resources that will help address the greater Houston-Galveston Bay subsidence problem, as well as provide historical and current wetland data.
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