The marshlands of Long Island are shrinking, and scientists are stumped as to why. According to Newsday, wetlands around the island have been declining at a rate of one-half to three-quarters of an acre per year.

In some areas, the loss is even more alarming. Jamaica Bay, in Queens, has an estimated 734 acres of marsh today -- about 45 percent of the marsh area in 1974. In most cases, the marshes have been replaced by open water and mudflats.

At first, scientists blamed pollution and runoff; however, this phenomenon seems to also be affecting the North Shore of the Island as well, which is an area that does not have to deal with those kinds of stressors as much.

Scientists have not been able to identify a specific concrete cause, rather they believe the loss is a result of a combination of impacts. The main suspects include pollution, natural changes in tidal flow, dredging and rising sea levels.