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LSU and Ohio State Battle on Football Field, Collaborate in Research Field
January 07, 2008Universities partner to save America's wetlands
LSU and Ohio State University will battle for the BCS National College Football Championship in the Superdome early next week, but if the game was held in the Louisiana wetlands instead, the entire field would disappear before halftime.
Louisiana's wetlands are being lost at the rate of approximately one football field every 38 minutes. To fight against this rapid destruction, the two universities joined forces in 2003, forming an ongoing research partnership with the goal of rebuilding the vanishing coastal wetland ecosystem that makes up 30 percent of the nation's total coastal marsh.
Researchers also aim to reduce the flow of nitrogen and other chemicals that pour into the Mississippi River each spring from America's heartland. This causes an overabundance of nutrients that rob the water of oxygen, creating a dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico - more than 975 square miles of low-oxygen water that limits the sustainable fisheries of the region.
"This is a multi-billion-dollar problem that affects our entire nation," said LSU Chancellor Sean O'Keefe. "While we battle on the football field, we collaborate in the research field to tackle the issue of coastal wetlands loss."
Louisiana's wetlands help to make the state the nation's leader in crude oil production and second in natural gas production, according to America's Wetland Foundation. These fragile ecosystems also support 25 percent of the nation's total commercial fishing haul and provide storm protection to five of the country's largest ports. Wetlands are essential because of their capability to filter the nutrients that would contribute to the dead zone before they get carried into the Gulf; they're also vital for hurricane protection in storm-sensitive areas like New Orleans.
"Louisiana has both the largest amount of wetland loss and the largest dead zone in the country," said Robert Twilley, associate vice chancellor of research and economic development at LSU, director of the Coastal Systems and Society Agenda, professor of coastal sciences and leader of the Shell Coastal Environmental Modeling Laboratory, or CEML. "We're working hard to rebuild our wetlands and reduce nutrients to the Gulf of Mexico, but we can't do it alone."
That's where OSU comes in.
While LSU scientists focus on Louisiana, addressing the issues of dramatic wetland loss and the continuously growing dead zone, OSU researchers are developing wetlands upstream so that nutrient loads in the Mississippi that would increase the size of the dead zone will be dramatically reduced by the time they reach the delta region.
"John Day, professor emeritus at LSU, and Bill Mitsch at the Ohio State University, have really come a long way with this partnership," said Twilley. "It's not something that's going to happen overnight, but if we're going to make any progress, it's got to be a collaborative effort throughout the Mississippi River basin. The basin is over 40 percent of the United States' land mass - this partnership is critical in getting the message out from Minnesota to Mississippi. That's what makes this partnership so unique - its potential for real impact."
Louisiana State University
Researchers also aim to reduce the flow of nitrogen and other chemicals that pour into the Mississippi River each spring from America's heartland. This causes an overabundance of nutrients that rob the water of oxygen, creating a dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico - more than 975 square miles of low-oxygen water that limits the sustainable fisheries of the region.
"This is a multi-billion-dollar problem that affects our entire nation," said LSU Chancellor Sean O'Keefe. "While we battle on the football field, we collaborate in the research field to tackle the issue of coastal wetlands loss."
Louisiana's wetlands help to make the state the nation's leader in crude oil production and second in natural gas production, according to America's Wetland Foundation. These fragile ecosystems also support 25 percent of the nation's total commercial fishing haul and provide storm protection to five of the country's largest ports. Wetlands are essential because of their capability to filter the nutrients that would contribute to the dead zone before they get carried into the Gulf; they're also vital for hurricane protection in storm-sensitive areas like New Orleans.
"Louisiana has both the largest amount of wetland loss and the largest dead zone in the country," said Robert Twilley, associate vice chancellor of research and economic development at LSU, director of the Coastal Systems and Society Agenda, professor of coastal sciences and leader of the Shell Coastal Environmental Modeling Laboratory, or CEML. "We're working hard to rebuild our wetlands and reduce nutrients to the Gulf of Mexico, but we can't do it alone."
That's where OSU comes in.
While LSU scientists focus on Louisiana, addressing the issues of dramatic wetland loss and the continuously growing dead zone, OSU researchers are developing wetlands upstream so that nutrient loads in the Mississippi that would increase the size of the dead zone will be dramatically reduced by the time they reach the delta region.
"John Day, professor emeritus at LSU, and Bill Mitsch at the Ohio State University, have really come a long way with this partnership," said Twilley. "It's not something that's going to happen overnight, but if we're going to make any progress, it's got to be a collaborative effort throughout the Mississippi River basin. The basin is over 40 percent of the United States' land mass - this partnership is critical in getting the message out from Minnesota to Mississippi. That's what makes this partnership so unique - its potential for real impact."
Louisiana State University
Wetlands Current Events and Wetlands News RSSTEEB report released on the economics of ecosystems and biodiversity for policy makers
Policy makers who factor the planet's multi-trillion dollar ecosystem services into their national and international investment strategies are likely to see far higher rates of return and stronger economic growth in the 21st century.
Deep creep means milder, more frequent earthquakes along Southern California's San Jacinto fault
With an average of four mini-earthquakes per day, Southern California's San Jacinto fault constantly adjusts to make it a less likely candidate for a major earthquake than its quiet neighbor to the east, the Southern San Andreas fault, according to an article in the journal Nature Geoscience.
Expert to Discuss Phosphorus' Impact on Gulf 'Dead Zone'
Phosphorus is an essential element in production agriculture, however fertilizer runoff and wastewater discharge have led to massive eutrophication problems in water bodies worldwide.
Diverting sediment-rich water below New Orleans could lead to extensive new land
Diverting sediment-rich water from the Mississippi River below New Orleans could generate new land in the river's delta in the next century.
World will miss 2010 target to stem biodiversity loss, experts say
The world will miss its agreed target to stem biodiversity loss by next year, according to experts convening in Cape Town for a landmark conference devoted to biodiversity science.
New coastland map could help strengthen sea defenses
The 'Coastland Map' produced by scientists from Durham University and published in the Journal GSA Today, charts the post Ice-Age tilt of the UK and Ireland and current relative sea-level changes.
How Will Future Sea-Level Rise Linked to Climate Change Affect Coastal Areas?
The anticipated sea-level rise associated with climate change, including increased storminess, over the next 100 years and the impact on the nation's low-lying coastal infrastructure is the focus of a new, interdisciplinary study led by geologists at The Florida State University.
Combining sun, sand and science in the Bahamas
It is well known that people from all over the world come to the Bahamas to enjoy the pristine waters, spectacular coral reefs and great fishing.
For peat's sake: Alternative growing media
Peat, or semi-decayed vegetation matter, has been used by commercial growers and amateur gardeners since the middle of the 20th century.
Scientists say climate change mitigation strategies ignore carbon cycling processes of inland waters
In the paper, The Boundless Carbon Cycle, published in the September issue of Nature Geoscience, scientists from the University of Vienna, Uppsala University in Sweden, University of Antwerp, and the U.S. based Stroud™ Water Research Center argue that current international strategies to mitigate manmade carbon emissions and address climate change have overlooked a critical player - inland waters.
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