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An Analysis Of Hurricane Laura's Storm Surge In Cameron Parish Using Synthetic Storm Tracks, Climatology, And Statistics, Cameron Goff Apr 2023

An Analysis Of Hurricane Laura's Storm Surge In Cameron Parish Using Synthetic Storm Tracks, Climatology, And Statistics, Cameron Goff

LSU Master's Theses

Cameron Parish is a large coastal parish in southwest Louisiana that has been impacted by several powerful tropical cyclones. In 2020, the strongest hurricane in recorded history to ever hit this region, Hurricane Laura, set a state record for the highest storm surge measurement at 6.34 meters. I examine the climatology of tropical cyclone landfalls in this parish, looking for trends in intensity and frequency with time. I then compare the extreme surge of Hurricane Laura with a dataset of 645 synthetic tropical cyclones generated and used by the Coastal Hazards System for Louisiana. Plots comparing various meteorological statistics to …


Bat Habitat Use And Activity In Forests Of Central Louisiana, Jane M. Kunberger Apr 2022

Bat Habitat Use And Activity In Forests Of Central Louisiana, Jane M. Kunberger

LSU Master's Theses

In the southeastern U.S., where forests are the primary land cover type and trees are often harvested for production purposes, understanding how forestry practices influence bat distributions is critical for bat conservation and management. It is also important for researchers to quantify and report variation in the performance of automated recordings units (ARUs) used to survey for bats because several key features of ARUs (e.g., microphone sensitivity, triggering thresholds) can influence an ARUs ability to detect bat calls. My goals were (1) to examine the influence of forest management practices on seasonal bat species occurrence and activity in central Louisiana, …


Pyrene Pyrimidine Derivatives: Synthesis, Characterization And Applications, John Kihara Mathaga May 2020

Pyrene Pyrimidine Derivatives: Synthesis, Characterization And Applications, John Kihara Mathaga

LSU Master's Theses

In this thesis, development of new materials to the field of optoelectronics were studied. Optoelectronic devices based on organic semiconductors in order to replace their inorganic counterparts have been an increasing focus of research in recent decades. Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) have gained commercial acceptance for their potential use in high-resolution displays and solid-state lighting. This general acceptance is despite the fact that organic electronic concepts (solar cells, transistors and detectors) are still in an early stage of development. OLEDs materials intrinsic advantages, like low power consumption as compared to LED counterparts, a tunable color range, ease of manufacturing, and …


Assessment Of Excess Thyroid Cancer Risk Following A Hypothetical Radiological Incident In Louisiana And Best-Case Risk Reduction Achieved By Thyroid Blockade, Garrett A. Otis Jul 2019

Assessment Of Excess Thyroid Cancer Risk Following A Hypothetical Radiological Incident In Louisiana And Best-Case Risk Reduction Achieved By Thyroid Blockade, Garrett A. Otis

LSU Master's Theses

Radioactive isotopes of iodine are produced by nuclear power plants as a byproduct of nuclear fission reactions. If these isotopes are released into the environment, such as during a breach of containment, they constitute a health risk to exposed individuals. To mitigate the risk of thyroid cancer due to exposure to radioactive iodine, “iodide prophylaxis,” also known as “thyroid blockade,” can be used, usually by administration of potassium iodide (KI). In some areas of the world, KI has been provided to the general public by their governments as a precautionary measure against potential nuclear power plant incidents. However, in the …


Impacts Of Updated Design Rainfall Values On Louisiana Infrastructure, Mario Durbic Sep 2018

Impacts Of Updated Design Rainfall Values On Louisiana Infrastructure, Mario Durbic

LSU Master's Theses

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LADOTD) has a Hydraulics Manual which sets forth drainage design standards and codes for projects. The Manual contains maximum annual 24-hour rainfall maps and Intensity-Duration-Frequency (IDF) curves for the return periods of 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, and 100 years. The Manual divides Louisiana into three regions and specifies that all of the cities within a given region should use the same estimated rainfall intensities and rainfall depths. NOAA Atlas 14, the Precipitation-Frequency Atlas of United States, contains the latest rainfall data and statistics for much of the United States and provides the …


Issues Related To Carbon Dioxide Pipeline Transportation Infrastructure In Louisiana, Michael Allen Layne Iii Nov 2017

Issues Related To Carbon Dioxide Pipeline Transportation Infrastructure In Louisiana, Michael Allen Layne Iii

LSU Master's Theses

There is no single solution to mitigate anthropogenic climate change; a multifaceted approach with economic incentives is needed. Carbon dioxide (CO2) enhanced oil recovery (EOR) is one such solution which provides an economic incentive, in the capture and sale of oil, for sequestering CO2 underground. While carbon capture and subsequent geological injection are both mature technologies, there has been little discussion or appreciation for the role of pipelines. The current CO2 pipeline infrastructure will need to significantly expand in order to accommodate increasing EOR production. However, pipeline construction costs, and institutional factors impacting development, may be …


Fishes Associated With Oil And Gas Platforms In Louisiana's River-Influenced Nearshore Waters, Ryan Thomas Munnelly Jan 2016

Fishes Associated With Oil And Gas Platforms In Louisiana's River-Influenced Nearshore Waters, Ryan Thomas Munnelly

LSU Master's Theses

A distinctive feature of coastal Louisiana is the unrivaled network of oil and gas installations (platforms) extending from inshore waters to the deep Gulf of Mexico. Since 2007 there has been a 38% reduction in platform numbers with the highest removal rates occurring in shallow (< 18 m) nearshore waters. Many fishes and invertebrates are attracted to platforms, presenting a unique opportunity to study detailed species-specific responses to the river-influenced hydrographic characteristics of Louisiana’s nearshore zone (5–25 km water depth). Prior studies of fishes around platforms focused on a few relatively large platforms in water depths ≥ 18 m. However, about one-third of all platforms are small, unmanned and non-drilling platforms located in waters < 18 m depth. Paired video and hydrographic data were collected at 150 small platforms in < 18 m water depth during the summers of 2013–2014. Fifty-four species of fishes were associated with small platforms. The assemblage(s) included juveniles of 29 species, indicating the importance of nearshore platforms as diverse nursery habitat. The coastal zone was divided into three regions based on broad-scale interactions between freshwater input and bathymetry driving major distinctions in interregional hydrography and fish assemblages. Co-occurring within this expansive artificial reef network is the second largest hypoxic area (dissolved oxygen (DO) < 2.0 mg l−1) on Earth. Platforms offer reef-like habitat features in the upper water column that may offer refugia for some reef-associated species during hypoxic events. Significant intraregional differences in physicochemical features were related to the presence of hypoxia (defined as DO < 50% saturation), as well as the distribution of sandy shoals. Eleven species accounted for most of the assemblage dissimilarities, composing ~93% of fishes observed. Habitat suitability indices for these 11 species provided information about habitat selection across horizontal and vertical physicochemical gradients throughout the coastal zone, and within hypoxic and well-oxygenated stratified water columns. East Bay, near the outlet of the Mississippi River, exhibited less hypoxia and a distinct fauna that included four adult goliath grouper (Epinephelus itajara). This endangered fish was observed during spawning season (summer), suggesting that East Bay might support a spawning aggregation.


Living On The Edge: An Assessment Of The Habitat Use Of Waterbirds In Estuarine Wetlands Of Barataria Basin, La, Brett Ashley Patton Jan 2016

Living On The Edge: An Assessment Of The Habitat Use Of Waterbirds In Estuarine Wetlands Of Barataria Basin, La, Brett Ashley Patton

LSU Master's Theses

The wetlands of Louisiana are losing area at the rapid rate of 42.9 km2 yr-1 and the trend is expected to continue. This combined with expected sea-level rise will likely cause large shifts in vegetation and salinity regimes that will affect the wildlife species reliant on these ecosystems. Waterbirds serve as indicator species of ecosystem health in estuarine wetland habitats; therefore, these species are often the targets of wetland management goals in Louisiana. However, many proposed wetland restoration projects are focused primarily on social impacts with only a few specific waterbird species designated for management. The majority of these waterbird …


An Analysis Of Risk Perceptions And Attitudes Towards Climate Change Among Residents Of Southeastern Louisiana, Heather Marie Brown Jan 2015

An Analysis Of Risk Perceptions And Attitudes Towards Climate Change Among Residents Of Southeastern Louisiana, Heather Marie Brown

LSU Master's Theses

Climate change is an important issue of concern, as its environmental impacts are already beginning to manifest in various means, such as through sea level rise and increased frequencies of storms. Areas of high vulnerability to the effects of climate change, such as southeastern Louisiana, are prime locations to initiate research in determining what factors influence individual’s risk perceptions towards climate change. This study aims is to identify key factors, specifically in the areas of socioeconomic, demographic, exposure, and attitudinal attributes, which affect climate change risk perceptions. The study area is that of the zip codes around Lake Pontchartrain in …


Metacommunity Dynamics And The Biogeography Of Central Louisiana Crayfishes, William Robert Budnick Jan 2015

Metacommunity Dynamics And The Biogeography Of Central Louisiana Crayfishes, William Robert Budnick

LSU Master's Theses

The greatest diversity of crayfishes, especially of rare Orconectes species, is found in the central Louisiana watersheds (Red River, Mermentau, Calcasieu, and Vermillion-Teche), and most species are widely distributed among the drainages. The purpose of this research was to lay groundwork for species distribution and metacommunity modelling for crayfishes in this region. To address this goal, two field studies were performed in the summers of 2013 and 2014, as well as an indoor laboratory study. Analyses of broadly distributed species indicated no significant correlations between species abundances and habitat variables nor any significant environmental gradients for those species. Within-drainage variability …


Population Abundance And Transience Of Selected Coastal Plain Crayfishes, Samantha Lott Jan 2015

Population Abundance And Transience Of Selected Coastal Plain Crayfishes, Samantha Lott

LSU Master's Theses

Crayfish are important for stability, determining ecosystem structure, and ecosystem functions in freshwater habitats. Louisiana has many endemic species of crayfish, but most are poorly described. This study investigated the populations of some of the lesser known crayfishes in the South Central Plains. Specifically, the goals were to examine movement, movement across anthropogenic barriers, and estimate population size of 10 species reported from the area: Procambarus natchitochae, P. vioscai, P. clarkii, P. acutus, P. zonangulus, P. tulanei, P. kensleyi, Orconectes maletae, O. lancifer, and O. palmeri. In combination with a field team, I sampled twelve wadeable streams with DC backpack …


History, Nesting Population, Migration, Home Range And Habitats Used By Louisiana Bald Eagles, Nickolas Ryan Smith Jan 2014

History, Nesting Population, Migration, Home Range And Habitats Used By Louisiana Bald Eagles, Nickolas Ryan Smith

LSU Master's Theses

The population of Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) nesting in Louisiana reached precariously low numbers in the early 1970’s, and although the population has since increased markedly, resident eagles remain a species of conservation concern in Louisiana. Using statewide aerial nest survey data from 1975–2008, I documented the history and quantified the recovery of the nesting population in Louisiana. Known active nests increased exponentially from 7 to 387 during this period, exhibiting a mean annual rate of increase of 11.1 ± 0.3% per year with no indications of slowing. By 1990, the nesting population in Louisiana had exceeded all goals of …


Long-Term Total Suspended Sediment Yield Of Coastal Louisiana Rivers With Spatiotemporal Analysis Of The Atchafalaya River Basin And Delta Complex, Timothy Rosen Jan 2013

Long-Term Total Suspended Sediment Yield Of Coastal Louisiana Rivers With Spatiotemporal Analysis Of The Atchafalaya River Basin And Delta Complex, Timothy Rosen

LSU Master's Theses

The modern day Mississippi River Delta Plain and the Louisiana Chenier Plain have been greatly altered through anthropogenic changes to course and hydrological conditions of the Mississippi River and local rivers, most notably by levees that have excluded the Mississippi River from the delta plain. This has slowed accretion and increased land loss destroying vast quantities of marsh, endangering many coastal communities. This master’s thesis examined long-term total suspended sediment yield of four Chenier Plain rivers, total suspended sediment yield of the Mississippi River under different flow conditions, and total suspended sediment dynamics of the Atchafalaya River in relation to …


Monitoring The Survival Of Hatchery-Produced Spat And Larvae On Louisiana Public Oyster Reefs, Erin R. Leonhardt Jan 2013

Monitoring The Survival Of Hatchery-Produced Spat And Larvae On Louisiana Public Oyster Reefs, Erin R. Leonhardt

LSU Master's Theses

Alternative or supplemental management activities may be necessary to restore and enhance oyster production on Louisiana public oyster reefs. The production of wild oysters is variable due to anthropogenic and environmental factors that affect recruitment, growth and survival. The availability and structure of cultch material for larval recruitment and survival is particularly important to maintain oyster production. Beginning in 2011, the Sea Grant Oyster Hatchery on Grand Isle, LA and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) collaborated to test the survival of hatchery-produced spat and hatchery-produced larvae deployed on public oyster grounds and cultch plant sites. In 2011, …


Controls On The Composition Of Saline Formation Waters From Coastal And Offshore Louisiana, Marielle Elaine Ausburn Jan 2013

Controls On The Composition Of Saline Formation Waters From Coastal And Offshore Louisiana, Marielle Elaine Ausburn

LSU Master's Theses

Geothermal energy is a renewable energy source that can contribute to the U.S. energy mix. As such, new technologies are being explored for lower temperature systems which would open new areas for exploration in Louisiana. Unlike concepts proposed in the early 1980s, in which heat would have been extracted at the land surface from produced overpressured waters, methods currently being proposed would involve engineered down-hole heat exchangers with zero-mass-fluid withdrawal. A re-examination has been made of the controls on the composition of formation waters in south central and offshore Louisiana in the context of providing insight into water-rock reactions that …


Comprehensive Planning And Resilience: A Study Of Louisiana Parishes After Hurricane Katrina, Mary Paille Jan 2012

Comprehensive Planning And Resilience: A Study Of Louisiana Parishes After Hurricane Katrina, Mary Paille

LSU Master's Theses

When hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit in 2005, widespread devastation was felt in over half of the parishes in the state. More than 200,000 homes were damaged and more than 1500 people lost their lives. During this transitionary period, communities were vulnerable and looked for rebuilding leadership. As part of a post-catastrophe resilience movement, the Louisiana Recovery Authority formulated a 50-year regional plan for recovering south Louisiana called Louisiana Speaks. This planning process opened up an opportunity to reach those communities that otherwise may not have considered planning or how it could help them prepare for future events. This places …


Effects Of Varying Land Use On Headwater Stream Fish Assemblages And In-Stream Habitats In Southwestern Louisiana, Alexandra Marie Fitzgerald Jan 2012

Effects Of Varying Land Use On Headwater Stream Fish Assemblages And In-Stream Habitats In Southwestern Louisiana, Alexandra Marie Fitzgerald

LSU Master's Theses

Although watershed land use effects on in-stream fish habitat and fish-macrohabitat associations have been widely studied in the past, low-gradient, coastal Louisiana streams have been poorly described in the literature. In this thesis, I report the results of a two-year study exploring relationships among regional land use, in-stream physical habitat, and headwater stream fish assemblages. In chapter two, I examined in-stream habitat variables such as depth, flow, and substrate combined with three-pass electrofishing depletion estimates at thirteen 100-m stream sites. I used a combination of principle component analysis and structural equation modeling to determine if trends were present in the …


Population Characteristics Of A White-Tailed Deer Herd In An Industrial Pine Forest Of North-Central Louisiana, John Henry Harrelson Jan 2011

Population Characteristics Of A White-Tailed Deer Herd In An Industrial Pine Forest Of North-Central Louisiana, John Henry Harrelson

LSU Master's Theses

White-tailed deer are the most important game species in Louisiana, and throughout the southeastern United States. Likewise, the forest products industry represents the most important agricultural commodity in Louisiana, and industrial landowners frequently lease their properties to sportsmen specifically for white-tailed deer hunting. I conducted research assessing survival, space use, and habitat selection of white-tailed deer on a 3885 ha industrial forest owned by Plum Creek Timber Company. I captured 61 deer in Union Parish, Louisiana in 2009-2010, radio-marked 24 females and 23 males, and ear-tagged 7 females and 6 males. Season and sex interacted to affect home range and …


An Overview Of Green Jobs In The Louisiana Forest Sector, Ryan D. Olson Jan 2011

An Overview Of Green Jobs In The Louisiana Forest Sector, Ryan D. Olson

LSU Master's Theses

The term “green job” is a relatively new definition that defines employment activities that are likely to have occurred since the beginning of human existence. The push to identify, to quantify and to drive the growth of these jobs has recently been brought on by climate change and the depletion of Earth’s natural resources. According to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, green jobs are either (a) Jobs in businesses that produce goods or provide services that benefit the environment or conserve natural resources or (b) Jobs in which workers’ duties involve making their establishment’s production …


Investigation Into The Cause Of Earthen Embankment Instability Along The "V-Line" Artificial Levee In Marrero, Louisiana, Usa, Jason Hicks Jan 2011

Investigation Into The Cause Of Earthen Embankment Instability Along The "V-Line" Artificial Levee In Marrero, Louisiana, Usa, Jason Hicks

LSU Master's Theses

The “V-line” levee, located in Marrero, LA, has a crack along its crest, measuring approximately 100 meters in length, 30 centimeters in depth, and 30 centimeters in width. This crack is a sign of levee instability. Seismic shear wave, CPT, and laboratory shear strength data were collected and processed to identify the cause of the instability. A zone of low seismic shear wave velocity was interpreted approximately 3 meters deep from the berm of the levee. Because of the large spacing between laboratory shear strength test sampling and CPT sites, a similar zone of low shear strength was not found …


Rare Earth Elements As An Investigative Tool Into The Source, Age, And Ecology Of Late Miocene To Late Pleistocene Fossils From The Tunica Hills, Louisiana, Lindsey Theresa Yann Jan 2010

Rare Earth Elements As An Investigative Tool Into The Source, Age, And Ecology Of Late Miocene To Late Pleistocene Fossils From The Tunica Hills, Louisiana, Lindsey Theresa Yann

LSU Master's Theses

Rare earth elements were investigated for their potential to determine provenance and depositional environments of vertebrate fossils found as float in creeks of the Tunica Hills region of Louisiana. Elemental analyses are used to test the hypotheses that fossils span multiple time periods, from late Miocene to late Pleistocene, and that elemental profiles can distinguish terrestrial depositional settings from possible estuarine deposits. In addition, the animals present were then used to test the hypothesis that Tunica Hills had late Pleistocene environmental conditions much like the modern Great Lakes region. This study is important because it provides new insight on the …


Multi-Scale Habitat Associations Of Shorebirds During Spring Migration In Southwestern Louisiana Rice Fields, Rachel K. Villani Jan 2010

Multi-Scale Habitat Associations Of Shorebirds During Spring Migration In Southwestern Louisiana Rice Fields, Rachel K. Villani

LSU Master's Theses

Rice is the most common wetland crop in the world, and important for waterbirds and shorebirds worldwide, including the United States. In Louisiana, shorebirds use rice fields during spring migration, and are an important for foraging and refueling during migration. However, competing land uses and restoration projects may reduce the availability of rice fields, and impact the landscape that shorebirds use during migration. To determine how shorebirds use the landscape, I evaluated local and landscape factors affecting shorebird use of rice fields during spring migration in southwestern Louisiana. Using five habitat suitability zones (HSZs) based on rice density and canopy …


Habitat Use, Movements And Spring Migration Chronology And Corridors Of Female Gadwalls That Winter Along The Louisiana Gulf Coast, Jacob M. Gray Jan 2010

Habitat Use, Movements And Spring Migration Chronology And Corridors Of Female Gadwalls That Winter Along The Louisiana Gulf Coast, Jacob M. Gray

LSU Master's Theses

The Louisiana Gulf Coast is an important wintering area for North American gadwall (Anas strepera). Conservation of winter habitat is a top priority of the Gulf Coast Joint Venture. Quantitative estimates of habitat use by wintering gadwall would help improve energetic demand models and subsequent estimates of habitat requirements. I used satellite telemetry (PTTs) to estimate winter habitat and refuge uses, spring migration chronology and corridors, as well as inter- and intra-regional winter movements of females. I used a split-plot MANOVA to evaluate the effects of individual females, female age, winter, hunt periods within winter, time of day, and all …


Understanding The Use Of Barrier Islands As Nesting Habitat For Louisiana Birds Of Concern, Cecilia Marie Leumas Jan 2010

Understanding The Use Of Barrier Islands As Nesting Habitat For Louisiana Birds Of Concern, Cecilia Marie Leumas

LSU Master's Theses

Colonial nesting seabirds are threatened by habitat loss and degradation, human disturbance, predation, and climate change. Several species of conservation concern concentrate high percentages of their total U.S. populations in Louisiana breeding colonies. We studied seabirds, including Royal Terns, Sandwich Terns, and Black Skimmers, nesting on Isles Dernieres barrier islands along the Gulf coast of Louisiana. Two of the four islands in this chain host extensive seabird colonies and two do not. We used an experimental approach to test the hypothesis that large terns and skimmers are prevented from nesting on Trinity Island, the largest of the Isles Dernieres, by …


The Effects Of Salinity On Nitrogen Cycling In Wetland Soils And Sediments Of The Breton Sound Estuary, La, Brett Whitfield Marks Jan 2010

The Effects Of Salinity On Nitrogen Cycling In Wetland Soils And Sediments Of The Breton Sound Estuary, La, Brett Whitfield Marks

LSU Master's Theses

Wetlands in the coastal zone are slowly becoming more saline under rising sea level over the long-term. However, there are a number of events in the coastal environment which lead to quick and temporary changes in the salinity of coastal marshes. Seawater driven inland from storm surge can significantly increase salinity in oligohaline wetlands over the short-term (weeks). Recent large-scale efforts to restore coastal wetlands in Louisiana have utilized Mississippi River surface water diversions to re-introduce freshwater into coastal marshes, decreasing the salinity of coastal marshes. We examined the effect of salinity changes on two important nitrogen cycling processes, potential …


Palynological Analysis Of Tiger And Trinity Shoals, Louisiana Continental Shelf, Russell Ryan Crouch Jan 2010

Palynological Analysis Of Tiger And Trinity Shoals, Louisiana Continental Shelf, Russell Ryan Crouch

LSU Master's Theses

Forty sediment samples taken from twenty-six vibracores collected from Holocene shoals (Tiger and Trinity) were processed for palynomorphs and analyzed to characterize the terrestrial and marine paleo-environments of southern Louisiana at the time of deposition of each shoal. Abundant and diverse pollen assemblages were recovered while marine microplankton were sparse (< 2% relative abundance). Pollen species were grouped by plants of similar environmental significances including arboreal, non-arboreal, aquatic, and shrub categories. Palynological signals were compared in detail between each core, as well as along strike and dip transects, to help determine whether or not these shoals were deposited coevally or in distinct depositional cycles. Evidence shows that Tiger and Trinity Shoals carry remarkably similar palynological profiles, indicating that sediments of these shoals areS from the same source, and that deposition extended over an interval of time such that climate change was not sufficient enough to alter the vegetation response (hence palynological signal). Pollen profiles show source sediments are predominantly from the lower Mississippi River drainage basin and exhibit species similar to those present in modern Louisiana coastal marshes and swamps (i.e., Taxodium distichum, Cyperaceae, Graminae, Chenopodiaceae, and Asteraceae), and coastal to upland hardwood forests of the Mississippi River alluvial valley (i.e., Pinus, Quercus, Carya, and Liquidambar styraciflua).


Introgression, Health, And Condition Of Florida, Northern, And Fx Hybrid Largemouth Bass In Louisiana Water Bodies, Melissa Ann Fries Jan 2010

Introgression, Health, And Condition Of Florida, Northern, And Fx Hybrid Largemouth Bass In Louisiana Water Bodies, Melissa Ann Fries

LSU Master's Theses

Since 1982, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) has stocked Florida-strain largemouth bass (FLMB; Micropterus salmoides floridanus) to incorporate Florida alleles into native populations (NLMB; M. s. salmoides) and enhance recreational fishing opportunities. I collected habitat data and largemouth bass samples from 12 LDWF stocked reservoirs and disconnected oxbow lakes to examine the relationships between reservoir characteristics, genetic identity, relative weight (Wr), liver somatic index (LSI), parasite loads, and back-calculated length-at-age. I examined the relationships between water body and genetic identity with Wr, LSI, and back-calculated length-at-age by ANOVA. Parasite loads were analyzed with ordinal regression. Principle component …


Speciation Of Heavy Metals In Disturbed And Undisturbed Sediments From Atchafalaya Bay, Houma Navigation Canal, And Southwest Pass, Louisiana, Amanda Jo Zimmerman Jan 2010

Speciation Of Heavy Metals In Disturbed And Undisturbed Sediments From Atchafalaya Bay, Houma Navigation Canal, And Southwest Pass, Louisiana, Amanda Jo Zimmerman

LSU Master's Theses

In coastal Louisiana it is common to use dredge spoil to build marshland that has been lost due to a variety of factors. Under various conditions such as deposition in a drained oxygenated environment, metals in the spoil can become more bioavailable posing a threat to the ecosystem. This study compares metal availability in natural and dredged sediments to determine what changes occur in nature. Forty four samples from three locations, Atchafalaya Delta, Houma Navigation Canal, and Southwest Pass, were analyzed for 13 common elements with known or potentially harmful health effects; Al, As, Ba, Be, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, …


Applying The Isotope Pairing Technique To Evaluate How Water Temperature And Habitat Type Influence Denitrification Estimates In Breton Sound, Louisiana, Peter L. Lenaker Jan 2009

Applying The Isotope Pairing Technique To Evaluate How Water Temperature And Habitat Type Influence Denitrification Estimates In Breton Sound, Louisiana, Peter L. Lenaker

LSU Master's Theses

The upper Breton Sound estuary was hydrologically reconnected to the Mississippi River via the Caernarvon freshwater diversion structure in 1991. The Caernarvon structure can provide controlled freshwater pulses to the upper Breton Sound estuarine ecosystem, replicating historic freshwater pulsed events, although the original authorization was to control salinity isohalines at specific locations in the estuary. However, unlike historic freshwater pulsed events prior to the construction of levees, the current freshwater pulse contains an unprecedented amount of inorganic nitrogen, predominately as nitrate (annual average 71.4 µM NO3-). Denitrification is a microbial process, which can potentially remove excess nitrate entering coastal Louisiana …


The Anatomy Of A Coastal Bay/Lake System, Michelle Greene Jan 2007

The Anatomy Of A Coastal Bay/Lake System, Michelle Greene

LSU Master's Theses

A comprehensive and integrated approach involving sedimentology, shallow surface geophysics and radio-chemistry was used to understand lakebed sediment dynamics in Little Lake. This methodology attempted to (1) define the morphology and origin of the lake, (2) understand the variability in lake-bottom sediments, (3) assess short-term and long-term sediment accumulation rates, and (4) image lakebed features. Subbottom chirp, single beam echo sounder, and side scan sonar data were collected to define hydrographic depths, lateral variability in seabed sediment type, lakebed features, and shallow subsurface structure. Sediment samples were taken at representative locations throughout the lake and particle size distributions were determined. …