Research points to the Gulf Coast as being an especially high-risk region. Eighty-four percent of coastal wetlands in the U.S. are gradually being overtaken by rising seas, scientists found. While 89% of U.S. coastal wetlands are slowly climbing in elevation due to growing layers of sediment, 73% of those areas are not rising fast enough to avoid future submergence without human intervention, the study found. Atlantic and Pacific coastal biomes are considered less vulnerable than Gulf Coast wetlands, which Neville attributed to the Southern region’s heavy historical shipping traffic and fossil fuel extraction. The continued diminishing of coastal wetlands would be a severe blow to the longevity of endangered species like the Gulf sturgeon and leatherback sea turtle.