Laboratory for Coastal Restoration Science, UNO

Recent Projects

Value of North Shore Marshes in Improving Lake Water Quality: Assessment of Sustainability under Increased Nutrient Loading and Rising Sea Levels

Mark W. Hester, Co-Principal Investigator, Pontchartrain Institute for Environmental Sciences, Coastal Plant Sciences Laboratory & Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Orleans

Denise J. Reed, Co-Principal Investigator, Pontchartrain Institute for Environmental Sciences & Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of New Orleans

Irving A. Mendelssohn, Co-Principal Investigator, Wetland Biogeochemistry Institute, Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, Louisiana State University

A collaborative effort between the University of New Orleans and Louisiana State University to discover the effect of nutrient loading on above and below ground marsh processes along the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain. Principle objectives include determining 1) the organic and inorganic sources contributing to changes in marsh surface elevation, 2) the effect of nitrogen and phosphorus loading on plant productivity and community composition, 3) the ability of marshes to improve water quality and 3) the ability of marshes to recover from disturbances.

This project was funded by National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration grant #NA04NOS463025 through the University of New Orleans Research and Technology Park and the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation. We would like to acknowledge the United States Fish and Wildlife Service for allowing us access to the Big Branch National Wildlife Refuge.

Holocene Subsidence Patterns and Geologic Framework of the Mississippi River Delta Plain, Louisiana

Denise J. Reed, Shea Penland and Mark Kulp, Co-Principal Investigators, Pontchartrain Institute for Environmental Sciences & Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of New Orleans

SET data is being used to determine the stratigraphic controls in the St. Bernard and Lafourche deltas. The St. Bernard data looks at the change of marsh surface elevation along a natural gradient along an unaltered distributary. SET data from the Lafourche delta includes change in a semi-impounded marsh and a natural reference marsh. The site was occupied in 1996 and 2003 to determine the long-term changes in both environments. Another set of Lafourche SETs will be used to determine shallow subsidence rates and processes occurring in the following sedimentary lithosomes: sand, mud and mixed sediments. All three studies will be used to determine short-term and long-term subsidence patterns, to compare subsidence rates of relatively old and thick sedimentary facies to old and thin, and to determine how variations in subsidence rates influence marsh surface accumulation and vertical soil development in the Mississippi River Delta Plain.

Funding was provided by United States Geologic Survey award #04ERAG0068.


			Recent Projects Value of North Shore Marshes in Improving Lake Water Quality: Assessment of Sustainability under Increased Nutrient Loading and Rising Sea Levels Mark W. Hester, Co-Principal Investigator, Pontchartrain Institute for Environmental Sciences, Coastal Plant Sciences Laboratory & Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Orleans Denise J. Reed, Co-Principal Investigator, Pontchartrain Institute for Environmental Sciences & Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of New Orleans Irving A. Mendelssohn, Co-Principal Investigator, Wetland Biogeochemistry Institute, Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, Louisiana State University A collaborative effort between the University of New Orleans and Louisiana State University to discover the effect of nutrient loading on above and below ground marsh processes along the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain. Principle objectives include determining 1) the organic and inorganic sources contributing to changes in marsh surface elevation, 2) the effect of nitrogen and phosphorus loading on plant productivity and community composition, 3) the ability of marshes to improve water quality and 3) the ability of marshes to recover from disturbances. This project was funded by National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration grant #NA04NOS463025 through the University of New Orleans Research and Technology Park and the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation. We would like to acknowledge the United States Fish and Wildlife Service for allowing us access to the Big Branch National Wildlife Refuge. Holocene Subsidence Patterns and Geologic Framework of the Mississippi River Delta Plain, Louisiana Denise J. Reed, Shea Penland and Mark Kulp, Co-Principal Investigators, Pontchartrain Institute for Environmental Sciences & Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of New Orleans SET data is being used to determine the stratigraphic controls in the St. Bernard and Lafourche deltas. The St. Bernard data looks at the change of marsh surface elevation along a natural gradient along an unaltered distributary. SET data from the Lafourche delta includes change in a semi-impounded marsh and a natural reference marsh. The site was occupied in 1996 and 2003 to determine the long-term changes in both environments. Another set of Lafourche SETs will be used to determine shallow subsidence rates and processes occurring in the following sedimentary lithosomes: sand, mud and mixed sediments. All three studies will be used to determine short-term and long-term subsidence patterns, to compare subsidence rates of relatively old and thick sedimentary facies to old and thin, and to determine how variations in subsidence rates influence marsh surface accumulation and vertical soil development in the Mississippi River Delta Plain. Funding was provided by United States Geologic Survey award #04ERAG0068.