MissDelta Initiative

How would various hypoxia reduction strategies impact fisheries in the Gulf?

MissDelta's Kim de Mutsert and a team of researchers built a model to find out. Their takeaway? Slight changes in populations, big changes in distribution

https://doi.org/10.1093/mcfafs/vtaf032

#hypoxia #coastalscience

You don’t have to wait to start your coastal science journey!

With the help of Grambling State University's Biological Sciences graduate students and faculty, Head Start students in Ruston recently learned about the journey of water from northern Louisiana to the Mississippi River and Gulf.

From conference presentations to publications, we're celebrating all the work our researchers have done over the past year to lead discussions about #coastalscience, the #mississippiriver, the Gulf and more!

Marshy
#blueskymonday #photography #water #marsh #nature #blue

How do you gather data in a marsh?

LiDAR drone surveys – Penetrate vegetation canopy to detect subsidence, uplift, and morphological changes in the marsh substrate

Hyperspectral imagery – Capture detailed data on plant species distribution, growth patterns, and density variations

#coastalscience

How do you map a marsh when you can't see through murky water or dense vegetation?

MissDelta researcher Rahul Biswas tackled this challenge across three sites in the Birdsfoot Delta this summer—using some cool tech along the way.

Follow along here to learn more

#researchinaction #coastalscience

“My research highlights how advanced remote sensing techniques can reveal critical land deformation patterns in the Mississippi Delta and their links to vegetation dynamics under changing climatic scenarios," says Rahul.

#coastalscience #environmentalscience #mississippiriver #wetlands

This week's student researcher is Rahul Biswas, a graduate student at Jackson State University.

Rahul is working with Professor Sadik Khan to monitor and predict marsh subsidence and changes in vegetation.

⤵️to hear what Rahul has to say about his research.

Early experiences with research give students:
☑️a passion for science
☑️a stronger network
☑️a better defined career path

Providing undergraduates this experience is a critical part of our workforce development.

Take a look last week’s field trip to LUMCON to see our plan in action!

Attention MissDelta researchers! You can now connect with us on LinkedIn:

www.linkedin.com/company/miss...

Now Mariotti and other MissDelta modelers will use the same techniques to better understand the future of the Birdsfoot

This model represents 2500 years of evolution of a New England marsh.

Most marsh modeling is based on short term measurements, but MissDelta's Giulio Mariotti built in factors like currents and sediment movement that allowed him to represent long term growth and changes in the marsh.

This October, come by and see us at one of these awesome events!

MissDelta researchers had a great time at a recent Boys at Tulane in STEM event! We 💚 coastal science!

This research allows MissDelta to build a stronger understanding of river conditions during saltwater intrusion, including calibrating predictive numerical models, so we can help communities in the lower Mississippi River prepare for changing conditions and build a more sustainable future.

If the wedge progresses upstream of water intakes in Plaquemines Parish, and even the Greater New Orleans area, it can impact drinking water supplies for all communities that rely on drinking water from the Mississippi River.

will likely require a decision by the US Army Corps of Engineers to initiate construction of the underwater sand sill at River Mile 63.

This will mark the extraordinary 4th consecutive year the sill will be required to stop continued upstream migration of the salt wedge.

These observations, along with projections of falling river discharge over the next month forecast by NOAA and linked to a prolonged drought in parts of the Mississippi River Basin,

Researchers studied the temperature, salinity and sediment concentration of the water and the speed of the river and wedge current down the axis of the river below New Orleans. During this study the upstream toe (or tip) of the wedge was found to be around River Mile 33, below Port Sulphur.

MissDelta scientists hit the water last week to to map the location of the saltwater wedge encroaching up the Mississippi River.

Learn about their work ⤵️

Brannum says she hopes her research can help in coastal restoration. “I am most excited to use my research to guide vegetation plantings and restoration projects that leverage the benefits of vegetation to protect our coastlines.”

She uses an acoustic doppler current profiler to measure the speed of water flow in deeper parts of the channel.

Although the ADCP and dye measure different things, she says, they “do generally agree about the system having faster water speed through the channel compared to the platform.”

Brannum collects water samples to measure volume of sediment.

She tracks the flow of water on the marsh platform by putting dye in, then using drones to track the flow patterns.

📣It’s Estuaries Week 🌱 Time to take a look at MissDelta’s work in Louisiana’s coastal marshes.

Sarah Brannum, a PhD student at LSU, wants to better understand how vegetation affects the flow of water and sediment in the marsh.

Read about her work and the methods she uses⤵️

LSU's Office of Undergraduate Research supports coastal research - Reveille The LSU Office of Undergraduate Research supports a program that allows students to conduct coastal and delta research.

MissDelta summer research in the news!

lsureveille.com/262774/news/...

Hurricane Erin: When distant storms pose a danger to America’s coastal communities Although the eye of Hurricane Erin was never closer than about 200 miles from the U.S. East Coast and its center never made landfall, Erin’s effects were still seen along the shoreline and felt by coa...

Even distant storms like Hurricane #Erin can pose a danger to coastal communities.

NOAA's National Weather Service provides life-saving information to keep Americans safe even in the face of unseen risks.

Read more at: noaa.gov/stories/hurr...

nws.noaa.gov

Scientists see promise in ‘pulsing’ river diversion. State coastal czar says ‘It ain’t gonna work’ • Louisiana Illuminator Ehab Meselhe, a coastal restoration scientist and professor at Tulane University, is researching a new way to operate the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion he says could be a compromise to move the pro...

An interesting look at an alternative to the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion, proposed by MissDelta scientist Ehab Meselhe

lailluminator.com/2025/09/04/s...

Are you a MissDelta student researcher? We’d like to hear from you!

This fall we’ll be featuring the hard work and contributions of our student researchers on our social media pages.

Fill out this form to get started: forms.cloud.microsoft/r/Cqsjrtzfbh

New paper alert!

Silt and clay look the same combined in the estuarine mud of the Delta. But differentiating between them could help researchers understand delta dynamics

MissDelta's Giulio Mariotti may have found a way to do just that

doi.org/10.1016/j.cs...

#missdelta #scicomm #coastalscience

YouTube video by PBS NewsHour Scientists face ecological and economic hurdles to save Mississippi River Delta

At the mouth of the Mississippi River sits one of the most important and endangered ecosystems in the country.

This piece from @pbsnews.org highlights some of the work MissDelta researchers and their colleagues are doing to understand and preserve this vulnerable area.

youtu.be/f9SUSNrl9Lo?...