Researchers have created computer model to aid coastal restoration efforts
Researchers have developed a computer model for assessing large scale coastal restoration projects before they are built. The computer model was recently presented at the annual conference of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Boston.
Since restoration of coastal wetlands in Louisiana will require delivering more of the sediment from the Mississippi River to the coastal wetlands, researchers have focused on creating a model that would determine how much land can be built from sediment available in the Mississippi River.
The idea for the computer model began when Robert Twilley, the director of the Wetland Biochemistry Institute at LSU saw a presentation by Gary Parker with the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. Parker's presentation concerned his abilities to model river deltas around the world. As a result of Twilley seeing this presentation, Twilley and Parker began discussing a computer model for the relationship of the Mississippi River with the surrounding coastal wetlands.
Twilley and Parker were then joined by Chris Paola of the University of Minnesota and David Mohrig of the University of Texas at Austin to form the team for the development of the computer model.
Using the growth of the delta at the mouth of the Atchafalaya River as a base, the team developed the computer model. The computer model suggests that by diverting 45% of the river's flow through two diversions, one could build between 270 and 345 square miles in about 30 years.
This computer model is discussed in an article published in the Baton Rouge Advocate on February 25, 2008 entitled Restoration effort aided by computer model.
That would be a good start to coastal wetland restoration in Louisiana.
Erich P Rapp.
