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Articles 1 - 30 of 58
Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
An Analysis Of Hurricane Laura's Storm Surge In Cameron Parish Using Synthetic Storm Tracks, Climatology, And Statistics, Cameron Goff
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
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
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 …
Ecogeomorphic Evolution Of Muddy Coastlines: How Biota On A Range Of Scales, From Microscopic Biofilms To Landscape-Scale Vegetation Zonation Patterns, Interact With Physical Processes, Kendall Cole
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
Coastal wetland ecosystems are inherently interdisciplinary; in these spaces, the physical forces of wind and water meet to interact with stabilizing and fortifying vegetation and biota, as well as mud. The combination of these factors build and sustain wetland ecosystems and without the complex feedbacks, they would cease to exist. In this dissertation, I present three studies that focus on ecogeomorphic interactions within coastal wetlands on a range of scales, from microscopic to the entire landscape and highlight the importance of these interactions when predicting future coastal change. The first study examined how biofilms, matrixes of photosynthetic diatoms and their …
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 …
Vulnerability Of Industrial Facilities In The Lower Mississippi River Industrial Corridor To Relative Sea Level Rise And Tropical Cyclone Storm Surge, Joseph Blake Harris
Vulnerability Of Industrial Facilities In The Lower Mississippi River Industrial Corridor To Relative Sea Level Rise And Tropical Cyclone Storm Surge, Joseph Blake Harris
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
Relative sea level rise (RSLR) and tropical cyclone-induced storm surge are major threats to the Lower Mississippi River Industrial Corridor (LMRIC) which has approximately 120 industrial complexes located within the corridor. Spatial interpolation methods were applied to the 2004 National Oceanic and Atmospheric published Technical Report #50 subsidence dataset and cross-validation techniques were used to determine the accuracy of each method. Digital elevation models (DEMs) were created for the years 2025, 2050, and 2075, based on these predictive surface of subsidence rates. Future DEMs were utilized to model RSLR and determine the extent of storm surge on the LMRIC by …
Deltaic Wetland Dynamics From Seasonal To Centennial Scales, Giancarlo A. Restreppo
Deltaic Wetland Dynamics From Seasonal To Centennial Scales, Giancarlo A. Restreppo
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
The lower plain of the Mississippi River Delta contains approximately five coastal sedimentary basins that are topographically defined, and one shelf-crossing depocenter (the Birds Foot Delta). These depositional systems receive varying quantities of sediment from fluvial and marine sources and have rates of coastal land loss that are roughly inversely proportional to fluvial sediment supply. To combat land loss along these regions, Louisiana has launched a historic campaign to sustain and regrow coastal lands using, in part, river sediment diversions. Fine sediments constitute the majority of sediment load in the Mississippi River, but are under-studied with respect to dispersal processes, …
Impacts Of Updated Design Rainfall Values On Louisiana Infrastructure, Mario Durbic
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
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 …
Temporal Dynamics Of Benthic Responses To Habitat Disturbance In Coastal Plain Headwaters Of Southwestern Louisiana, Catherine Elizabeth Murphy
Temporal Dynamics Of Benthic Responses To Habitat Disturbance In Coastal Plain Headwaters Of Southwestern Louisiana, Catherine Elizabeth Murphy
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
Weak biotic responses to habitat gradients within Northern Gulf of Mexico streams have been attributed to spatial and temporal variability. Landscape and in-stream habitat descriptions are presented for watersheds within Pleistocene terraces of the Coastal Plains geomorphic province of Louisiana, USA. Geologic influences on stream habitat were inferred by comparing multivariate ordinations on physicochemical measurements between terraces. Seasonal variability was assessed during a drought year (2011) and a typical water year (2013). Within coastal plains of Louisiana, stream condition was more similar within terraces than within river basins. Permutational MANOVA models indicated significantly different stream habitat between Uplands and Prairie, …
Living On The Edge: An Assessment Of The Habitat Use Of Waterbirds In Estuarine Wetlands Of Barataria Basin, La, Brett Ashley Patton
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 …
Fishes Associated With Oil And Gas Platforms In Louisiana's River-Influenced Nearshore Waters, Ryan Thomas Munnelly
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.
Metacommunity Dynamics And The Biogeography Of Central Louisiana Crayfishes, William Robert Budnick
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 …
An Analysis Of Risk Perceptions And Attitudes Towards Climate Change Among Residents Of Southeastern Louisiana, Heather Marie Brown
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 …
Population Abundance And Transience Of Selected Coastal Plain Crayfishes, Samantha Lott
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
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 …
Controls On The Composition Of Saline Formation Waters From Coastal And Offshore Louisiana, Marielle Elaine Ausburn
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 …
Decade-Scale Nutrient Enrichment Effects On Wetland Plant Community Structure, Function, And Stability, Sean A. Graham
Decade-Scale Nutrient Enrichment Effects On Wetland Plant Community Structure, Function, And Stability, Sean A. Graham
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
Human activities have increased the supply of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) to coastal waters worldwide, threatening coastal wetlands with excess nutrient loading and subsequent eutrophication. In this dissertation, I present results from two decade-scale fertilization experiments in a Sagittaria lancifolia dominated oligohaline marsh that examined the species-, community-, and ecosystem-level effects of nutrient enrichment. My objectives were to determine (1) which nutrient limits primary production, (2) how increased supply of the limiting nutrient affects plant community structure and function, both above- and belowground, and (3) whether nutrient over-enrichment compromises ecosystem stability. Overall, significant changes in plant growth occurred with …
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
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, …
Red Swamp Crayfish Procambarus Clarkii In The Atchafalaya River Basin: Biotic And Abiotic Effects On Population Dynamics And Physiological Biomarkers Of Hypoxic Stress, Christopher Paul Bonvillain
Red Swamp Crayfish Procambarus Clarkii In The Atchafalaya River Basin: Biotic And Abiotic Effects On Population Dynamics And Physiological Biomarkers Of Hypoxic Stress, Christopher Paul Bonvillain
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
Crayfish harvested from the Atchafalaya River Basin (ARB) represent the majority of Louisiana wild crayfish landings. However, excluding water level influences, it is difficult to elucidate inter-annual harvest differences and intra-annual population variability among habitats. This research investigated ecological influences on population characteristics of red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii in the southeastern ARB as well as physiological biomarkers of hypoxic stress in P. clarkii. Biotic and abiotic effects on P. clarkii populations were examined throughout the 2008 and 2009 commercial crayfish seasons. P. clarkii catch per unit effort (CPUE) at sampling locations increased nearly 600% between sample years despite similar …
Comprehensive Planning And Resilience: A Study Of Louisiana Parishes After Hurricane Katrina, Mary Paille
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
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 …
An Overview Of Green Jobs In The Louisiana Forest Sector, Ryan D. Olson
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 …
Population Characteristics Of A White-Tailed Deer Herd In An Industrial Pine Forest Of North-Central Louisiana, John Henry Harrelson
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 …
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 …
Beneath The Salt Marsh Canopy: Loss Of Soil Strength With Increasing Nutrient Loads, R. Eugene Turner
Beneath The Salt Marsh Canopy: Loss Of Soil Strength With Increasing Nutrient Loads, R. Eugene Turner
Faculty Publications
Although the broadly observed increase in nutrient loading rates to coastal waters in the last 100 years may increase aboveground biomass, it also tends to increase soil metabolism and lower root and rhizome biomass—responses that can compromise soil strength. Fourteen different multiyear field combinations of nutrient amendments to salt marshes were made to determine the relationship between soil strength and various nitrogen, phosphorus, and nitrogen+phosphorus loadings. There was a proportional decline in soil strength that reached 35% in the 60- to 100-cm soil layer at the highest loadings and did not level off. These loading rates are equivalent to those …
Abundance And Ecological Significance Of The Clam Rangia Cuneata (Sowerby, 1831) In The Upper Barataria Estuary (Louisiana, Usa), Wai Hing Wong, Nancy N. Rabalais, R. Eugene Turner
Abundance And Ecological Significance Of The Clam Rangia Cuneata (Sowerby, 1831) In The Upper Barataria Estuary (Louisiana, Usa), Wai Hing Wong, Nancy N. Rabalais, R. Eugene Turner
Faculty Publications
We proposed that Rangia cuneata (Sowerby, 1831) is an important estuarine bivalve with ecological significance in three coastal lakes in Barataria Bay, Gulf of Mexico—Lake Cataouatche, Lake Salvador and Lac des Allemands. Our goals were to determine the abundance and distribution of Rangia in these lakes and to measure clearance times to elucidate its potential impacts on phytoplankton communities. The estimated average densities of R. cuneata in Lake Cataouatche, Lake Salvador, and Lac des Allemands were 63, 157, and 107 individuals m−2, respectively, which is 30% lower than that observed in nearby Lake Pontchartrain. The size of clams in Lake …
Spatial Analyses Of Pedosphere Carbon Stock And Sequestration Potential In Louisiana's Watersheds, Biao Zhong
Spatial Analyses Of Pedosphere Carbon Stock And Sequestration Potential In Louisiana's Watersheds, Biao Zhong
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
This dissertation research aimed to quantify current soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks across Louisiana’s landscape, examine the spatial relationships between SOC and terrain factors at the watershed and river basin scales, and predict SOC changes in surface soils during future climate change. Using Louisiana as an example, a spatially-explicit modeling framework was developed that is conducive to watershed-scale prediction of soil carbon stock and change. SOC densities at the watershed scale were estimated using the USDA NRCS Soil Geographic Database (STATSGO). Louisiana watersheds and National Land Cover Database (NLCD) were used to aggregate total soil carbon and estimate average soil …
The Effects Of Salinity On Nitrogen Cycling In Wetland Soils And Sediments Of The Breton Sound Estuary, La, Brett Whitfield Marks
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 …