Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Sediment Flux And Fate In The Mississippi River Diversion At West Bay: Observation Study, Thomas Mitchell Andrus

LSU Master's Theses

Land-building sediment diversions, such as the Mississippi River Diversion at West Bay, can be used as important building blocks in the conservation and restoration of Mississippi Delta wetlands. Sediment deposition and retention patterns were studied in the West Bay diversion outfall area through analyses of sediment cores, hydrodynamics, and bathymetry. Cores and x-ray samples were collected at twenty stations in March 2004, August 2004, November 2005, and April 2006. Cores were analyzed for grain-size distributions and ⁷Be activities, in order to examine patterns of recent sediment deposition. In comparing ratios of total ⁷Be inventory to atmospheric ⁷Be …