LSU researchers discover mud, swamp helped save ancient underwater forests in Alabama

BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — Louisiana State University researchers have uncovered why the ancient underwater forest off the coast of Gulf Shores, Alabama, is so well-preserved.

According to a news release from the university, chemical and pollen analyses showed that the bald cypress trees, buried in sediment from the swamp and marsh ecosystems, were protected by low-oxygen conditions that prevented decay.

LSU said the trees, more than 60,000 years old, grew on land during a period when sea levels were much lower. The forest was buried in mud and sediment, which created a protective layer. Hurricane Ivan partially removed the layer and revealed the tree stumps, according to LSU.

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In a study published in “Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems”, LSU researcher and professor of geography and anthropology Kristine DeLong, along with colleagues from several institutions, studied the Alabama Underwater Forest and another site offshore in Mississippi.

DeLong and her team have been studying the underwater forests since 2012. LSU said that she is slowly confirming her early guess that the Alabama Underwater Forest isn’t the only one.

“This study is an important step in understanding the conditions that led to the preservation of this ice age forest ecosystem, which will help resource managers, stakeholders and scientists find other such locations on the continental shelves of our coasts,” DeLong said in the release.

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