scholarly journals Stages and Discharges of the Mississippi River and Tributaries and Other Watersheds in New Orleans District for 1993

Author(s):  
ARMY ENGINEER DISTRICT NEW ORLEANS LA
Author(s):  
Richard Campanella

As an urbanized river-dominated delta, New Orleans, Louisiana, ranks among the most experimental of cities, a test of whether the needs of a stable human settlement can coexist with the fluidity of a deltaic environment—and what happens when they do not. That natural environment bestowed upon New Orleans numerous advantages, among them abundant fresh water, fertile soils, productive wetlands and, above all, expedient passage between maritime and continental realms. But with those advantages came exposure to potential hazards—an overflowing Mississippi River, a tempestuous Gulf of Mexico, sinking soils, eroding coasts, rising seas, biotic invasion, pestilence, political and racial discord, conflagration—made all the worse by the high levels of social vulnerability borne by all too many members of New Orleans’ population. More so than any other major metropolis on the North American continent, this history of disaster and response is about the future of New Orleans as much as it is about the past. This article examines two dozen disasters of various types and scales, with origins oftentimes traceable to anthropogenic manipulation of the natural environment, and assesses the nature of New Orleans’ responses. It frames these assessments in the “risk triangle” framework offered by David Crichton and other researchers, which views urban risk as a function of hazard, exposure, and vulnerability. “Hazard” implies the disastrous event or trauma itself; “exposure” means human proximity to the hazard, usually in the form of settlement patterns, and “vulnerability” indicates individuals’ and communities’ ability to respond resiliently and adaptively—which itself is a function of education, income, age, race, language, social capital, and other factors—after having been exposed to a hazard.


2006 ◽  
Vol 40 (24) ◽  
pp. 7623-7628 ◽  
Author(s):  
Howard W. Mielke ◽  
Eric T. Powell ◽  
Christopher R. Gonzales ◽  
Paul W. Mielke

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (33) ◽  
pp. 69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathijs Van Ledden ◽  
Joost Lansen ◽  
Hennes De Ridder ◽  
Billy Edge

This paper reports a reconnaissance level study of a storm surge barrier in the Mississippi River. Historical hurricanes have shown storm surge of several meters along the Mississippi River levees up to and upstream of New Orleans. Future changes due to sea level rise and subsidence will further increase the risk of flooding due to hurricane storm surge. A surge barrier downstream of New Orleans has been considered as an alternative to levee raise along the Mississippi River. Hydraulic computations show that the build-up of water behind the barrier due to the Mississippi River flow is (much) lower than the hurricane surge protruding up the river in the no-barrier situation. The barrier will probably eliminate the need to upgrade the system upstream of the barrier while providing the same level of hurricane risk reduction. A hybrid barrier (a combination of different gate types) with a primary swing gate for navigation (and flow) and secondary lift gates to accommodate for flow is a technically feasible alternative. The barrier remains open for almost the entire year and would only to be closed during severe tropical events (say once every 2 - 3 years). Several measures are included in the conceptual design to mitigate the navigation impact. The construction costs of the barrier are estimated at $1.6 - 2.6 billion. It is recommended to compare the investment costs of a barrier including adjacent tie-ins to the existing HSDRRS to the costs of upgrading and maintaining the levee system throughout the city of New Orleans.


Author(s):  
Michael R. Cohen

Chapter 2 focuses on the Civil War years. In the early years of the war, a Union blockade brought legal trade to a standstill, and for merchants who relied on trade networks between the North and the South, the blockade was catastrophic. But with soaring demand for cotton around the globe, economic opportunities abounded. Some merchants stockpiled cotton, and some wisely avoided Confederate currency, which would turn out to be worthless after the war. But once Ulysses S. Grant’s troops declared victory after the bloody battle of Vicksburg, which opened the Mississippi River for commerce, the landscape changed, and new opportunities emerged. With New Orleans and the Mississippi River in Union hands, legal cotton trade resumed between the North and South, and merchants flocked to the interior towns that facilitated this commerce. They also established or reestablished trade networks that closely resembled those that had emerged in the antebellum years. While the resumption of trade was slowed by a plethora of factors, by the end of the Civil War, firms that had saved capital, reestablished North-South networks, or both, were on sound footing, prepared to face head on the vicissitudes of the postbellum economy.


1985 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-80
Author(s):  
Hubert Skinner ◽  
Karlem Riess

John L. Riddell, though primarily interested in chemistry, botany, and medicine, made considerable contributions to geology. From 1827-1829 he was a student at Rensselaer under Amos Eaton, the first American teacher of geology. Riddell's first scientific lecture, A new theory of the earth, was delivered at Rensselaer in August 1829. It dealt with geological formations and the fossil remains contained therein. From 1830-1832 Riddell presented public subscription lectures in New York, Ontario, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. Late in 1832 he became professor of chemistry and botany at the Ohio Reformed Medical College, where he began to study the geology of the state. Geology of Ohio, his first formal paper on geological subjects, appeared in 1833. Others papers soon followed. He worked with Samuel P. Hildreth on Survey of the geology of Ohio, which was completed in 1836. Soon afterwards, Riddell married and moved to New Orleans, becoming professor of chemistry at the New Orleans Medical College, now Tulane University. He remained in New Orleans until his death nearly thirty years later. In 1839 Riddell attempted to secure state authorization to conduct a geological survey of Louisiana. Also in 1839, he made two excursions to Texas, resulting in his Geology of the Trinity Country, Texas, published in 1839. Finally, in 1841, the Geological Committee of the State of Louisiana was formed, with Riddell as Chairman. There were five other members. Tragically, the result of their work was lost before being published, and no trace of the manuscript is known to exist today. In his later years, Riddell continued to do geological work, including studies of Mississippi River dynamics. He also continued his long teaching career in New Orleans.


2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 81-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. L. A. Driessen ◽  
M. van Ledden

Abstract. The objective of this paper was to describe the impact of climate change on the Mississippi River flood hazard in the New Orleans area. This city has a unique flood risk management challenge, heavily influenced by climate change, since it faces flood hazards from multiple geographical locations (e.g. Lake Pontchartrain and Mississippi River) and multiple sources (hurricane, river, rainfall). Also the low elevation and significant subsidence rate of the Greater New Orleans area poses a high risk and challenges the water management of this urban area. Its vulnerability to flooding became dramatically apparent during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 with huge economic losses and a large number of casualties. A SOBEK Rural 1DFLOW model was set up to simulate the general hydrodynamics. This model included the two important spillways that are operated during high flow conditions. A weighted multi-criteria calibration procedure was performed to calibrate the model for high flows. Validation for floods in 2011 indicated a reasonable performance for high flows and clearly demonstrated the influence of the spillways. 32 different scenarios were defined which included the relatively large sea level rise and the changing discharge regime that is expected due to climate change. The impact of these scenarios on the water levels near New Orleans were analysed by the hydrodynamic model. Results showed that during high flows New Orleans will not be affected by varying discharge regimes, since the presence of the spillways ensures a constant discharge through the city. In contrary, sea level rise is expected to push water levels upwards. The effect of sea level rise will be noticeable even more than 470 km upstream. Climate change impacts necessitate a more frequent use of the spillways and opening strategies that are based on stages.


1982 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 452-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony J. DeLucca II ◽  
Muriel S. Palmgren ◽  
Alex Ciegler

Grain dust from four large grain elevators along the Mississippi River near New Orleans, Louisiana, were analyzed for the presence of Bacillus thuringiensis, a pathogen of lepidopterous insects. Both settled grain dust and respirable grain dust samples were taken. A total of 20 settled and 53 respirable dust samples were assayed. No insects, alive or dead, insect parts, webbing, or feces were observed. Of the settled dust samples, 55.0% contained Bacillus thuringiensis, while 16.9% of the respirable dust samples were positive for this organism. Two hundred and fifty-five Bacillus colonies were studied, with 30.9% being Bacillus thuringiensis. Serological and biochemical tests showed 94.9% of them to be variety aizawai. Other varieties present were morrisoni, canadensis, indiana, and kurstaki.


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