Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative examines oil spill’s effects on environmental and public health
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By Estelle Robichaux, Environmental Defense Fund The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) hosted its 2014 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill and Ecosystem Science Conference January 26-29 in Mobile, Ala. GoMRI was created soon after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil disaster when BP committed $500 million over 10 years to fund a broad, independent research program with the purpose of studying the environmental and public health impacts of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The conference drew several …
Rebuilding coastal Louisiana, using the natural power of the mighty Mississippi
This was originally posted by Environmental Defense Fund on EDF Voices. By Estelle Robichaux, Restoration Project Analyst, Environmental Defense Fund Soon after my flyover of the Mississippi River Delta, I joined Dr. John Lopez of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation (LPBF) on a boat ride down the Bohemia Spillway to Mardi Gras Pass. As we sped down the spillway canal, beautiful swamp lilies and purple morning glories popped out against a backdrop of lush, green plants. Once we reached our destination, …
Expert panel discusses diversions as a coastal restoration tool
By Alisha A. Renfro, Ph.D., National Wildlife Federation Last week in Baton Rouge, The Water Institute of the Gulf hosted the inaugural meeting of the Expert Panel on Diversion Planning and Implementation. The panel – comprised of 12 experts in natural and social sciences, engineering and economics – was selected from more than 60 nominees from across the country. Panel members are all from outside Louisiana, in order to foster critical and constructive review of work being led by Louisiana-based …
When it comes to restoration, let nature fill in the details
This was originally posted by Environmental Defense Fund on EDF Voices: People on the Planet. By David Festa, Vice President, West Coast & Land, Water & Wildlife, Environmental Defense Fund I was struck by a line in an article in the new issue of Scientific American. It called the loss of Louisiana’s coastal wetlands “the greatest environmental, economic and cultural tragedy on the North American continent.” It’s easy to see why they would say that. Since the 1930s, efforts to control the Mississippi …
New study looks at groundwater transport flows and their effects on estuaries in the Mississippi River Delta
By Alisha A. Renfro, Coastal Scientist, National Wildlife Federation Estuaries are some of the productive – and in many ways, some of the most complex – ecosystems in the world. The abundance and distribution of fish and wildlife within an estuary largely depends on the amount, location and frequency of freshwater inflow. The construction of flood control levees along the lower Mississippi River has severely constricted the surface freshwater flow into the surrounding basins. However, a new study published in …
Basics of the Basin research symposium discusses past, present and future of the Pontchartrain Basin
By Shannon Hood and Estelle S. Robichaux, Environmental Defense Fund On October 24-25, 2013, the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation (LPBF) hosted its 11th Basics of the Basin research symposium. Scientists and researchers from academia, non-profit organizations, private consulting groups and federal and state agencies gathered at the University of New Orleans (UNO) on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain to discuss the past, present and future issues of the Pontchartrain Basin. LPBF has hosted these biennial symposiums since 1992, providing an …
Recap of Wednesday's Mississippi River Hydrodynamic and Delta Management Study Technical Meeting
By Alisha Renfro, Coastal Scientist, National Wildlife Federation The Mississippi River is one of the most managed river systems in the world. However, that management has focused on navigation and flood control needs to the detriment of the economically and ecologically important coastal Louisiana landscape. This week, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) hosted a public meeting in New Orleans to present information and preliminary results of their joint effort on the …
Science plays key role in determining amount of oil spilled during 2010 Gulf disaster
By Alisha Renfro, Coastal Scientist, National Wildlife Federation The unprecedented scale of the 2010 BP oil spill and the further complexity introduced by its deep water location pushed scientists involved in the response effort to apply both old and new research methods to estimate the rate of oil flow from the well and the total volume of oil spilled. Currently in New Orleans, phase II of the BP oil spill trial – which will focus on that very question of how much oil …
Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council approves Initial Comprehensive Plan
By Estelle Robichaux, Environmental Defense Fund Last week, the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council held a public meeting in New Orleans to vote on its Initial Comprehensive Plan: Restoring the Gulf Coast’s Ecosystem and Economy. The RESTORE Act, signed into law in July 2012, established the Council and tasked it with, among other duties, creating a long-term ecosystem restoration plan for the Gulf Coast region in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. In his opening remarks, Louisiana Governor …
Study shows how coastal habitats help provide protection from storms, sea level rise
By Alisha Renfro, Coastal Scientist, National Wildlife Federation Coastal communities throughout the U.S. are increasingly threatened by rising sea levels and extreme weather events. The conventional approach for protecting people and property along the coast has relied on engineering solutions such as levees, seawalls and bulkheads, which “harden” shorelines. However, not only can these structures be expensive to build and difficult to maintain, but in some cases, they can also increase erosion, impair the recreational uses of the area and …
Tagged ReportsJoint Ocean Commission Initiative report underscores importance of coastal restoration
By Rachel Schott, Environmental Defense Fund In June, the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative, a bipartisan 16-member council representing diverse ocean interests, released a new report, “Charting the Course: Securing the Future of America’s Oceans.” The report outlines important ocean reform and coastal restoration recommendations for Congress and the Obama Administration. Being an “ocean nation,” the health of the U.S. economy is closely tied to health of its oceans. For Gulf Coast residents, this specifically means the Gulf of Mexico. The …
Tagged Economics, ReportsEven after three years we can’t fully quantify the BP disaster damage
This was originally posted on the EDF Voices blog. By Douglas Rader, Chief Oceans Scientist, Environmental Defense Fund The third anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon blowout seems a good time to take stock of the damage done to the Gulf of Mexico, and to look to its future. The drill rig sank in about a mile of water on April 22, 2010, Earth Day, spewing more than 200 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf. It took almost a hundred days …
What does a “record-setting dead zone” mean for Louisiana’s coast?
By Rachel Schott, Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign Dead zone. Words that bring images of military exercises or deserted, war-torn areas of land, but certainly not an acceptable description of a region that contains some of the nation’s most vibrant and diverse ecosystems, wildlife and habitats. Right? Recent studies released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and conducted by Louisiana State University, Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, and University of Michigan scientists forecast a “record-setting dead zone” for the …
Tagged ReportsLouisiana’s compounding coastal threats
By Alisha A. Renfro, Ph.D., Staff Scientist, National Wildlife Federation Worldwide, rising global temperature is a threat to coastal communities in the form of rising sea levels and stronger hurricanes. Last week, the Louisiana State Museum in New Orleans hosted a presentation by Virginia Burkett, Ph.D., Chief Scientist for Global Climate and Land Use Change at the United States Geological Survey. In Dr. Burkett’s presentation, “Climate Change and Sea Level Rise: Implications for New Orleans,” she discussed the science of …
Study demonstrates importance of sediment diversions for building land in the Mississippi River Delta
By Alisha A. Renfro, Ph.D., Staff Scientist, National Wildlife Federation Last week, an independent scientific panel comprised of prominent scientists from throughout the U.S. released a report, “Mississippi River Freshwater Diversions in Southern Louisiana: Effects of Wetland Vegetation, Soils, and Elevation,” which examines some of the ecological effects of freshwater river diversions. The panel concluded that there is little evidence suggesting that the existing freshwater diversions in Louisiana have appreciably reversed the rate of land loss in the region, and …