scholarly journals The “Problem” of New Orleans and Diminishing Sustainability of Mississippi River Management—Future Options

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 813
Author(s):  
John W. Day ◽  
Rachael Hunter ◽  
G. Paul Kemp ◽  
Matthew Moerschbaecher ◽  
Christopher G. Brantley
Keyword(s):  
New Orleans ◽  
Mississippi River ◽  
Coastal Wetlands ◽  
High Water ◽  
City Management ◽  
The Future ◽  
Lower Mississippi River ◽  
Coastal Louisiana ◽  
The City ◽  
Precipitation Events

Climate change forcings are having significant impacts in coastal Louisiana today and increasingly affect the future of New Orleans, a deltaic city mostly below sea level, which depends on levee and pumps to protect from a host of water-related threats. Precipitation has increased in the Mississippi River basin generally, increasing runoff, so that in recent years the Mississippi River has been above flood stage for longer periods of time both earlier and later in the year, increasing the likelihood that hurricane surge, traditionally confined to summer and fall, may compound effects of prolonged high water on river levees. The Bonnet Carré Spillway, just upstream of New Orleans has been operated more often and for longer periods of time in recent years than ever before in its nearly 100-year history. Because all rain that falls within the city must be pumped out, residents have been exposed to interior flooding more frequently as high-intensity precipitation events can occur in any season. A sustainable path for New Orleans should involve elevating people and sensitive infrastructure above flood levels, raising some land levels, and creating water storage areas within the city. Management of the lower Mississippi River in the future must include consideration that the river will exceed its design capacity on a regular basis. The river must also be used to restore coastal wetlands through the use of diversions, which will also relieve pressure on levees.

scholarly journals MODELING THE EFFECT OF LAND-BUILDING PROJECTS ON STORM SURGE AND HURRICANE WAVES IN COASTAL LOUISIANA

2018 ◽  
pp. 21
Author(s):  
Kelin Hu ◽  
Qin Chen ◽  
Ehab Meselhe
Keyword(s):  
Storm Surge ◽  
Mississippi River ◽  
Coastal Wetlands ◽  
Wetland Loss ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Coastal Protection ◽  
Building Projects ◽  
Lower Mississippi River ◽  
Louisiana Coast ◽  
Coastal Louisiana

Wetland loss on the hurricane-prone Louisiana coast continues at an alarmingly high rate. Coastal Louisiana is at risk of losing between 2118 and 4677 km2 of land over the next 50 years (Couvillion et al., 2013). To combat the devastating wetland loss, the Louisiana 2017 Coastal Master Plan (CMP) called for sediment diversions along the lower Mississippi River to enhance sediment supplies to coastal wetlands and build more wetlands. The Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) plans to spend $2 billion on the Mid-Breton and Mid-Barataria sediment diversion projects. In this study, numerical experiments were conducted to quantify the effect of land-building projects on storm surge and hurricane waves in Barataria and Breton Basins of Louisiana.

scholarly journals RECONNAISSANCE LEVEL STUDY MISSISSIPPI STORM SURGE BARRIER

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (33) ◽  
pp. 69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathijs Van Ledden ◽  
Joost Lansen ◽  
Hennes De Ridder ◽  
Billy Edge
Keyword(s):  
New Orleans ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Storm Surge ◽  
Mississippi River ◽  
River Flow ◽  
Construction Costs ◽  
Levee System ◽  
Feasible Alternative ◽  
Hurricane Storm Surge ◽  
The City

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.

Tank Drama

2013 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Gilbert ◽  
Kevin McCaffrey
Keyword(s):  
New Orleans ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Future ◽  
Creative Artists ◽  
The City

In post-Katrina New Orleans, creative artists took responsibility for remembering the disaster and re-visioning the city. This collection of articles and photographs offers a glimpse into the still-emerging effort to think through the past and envision the future of life and art in New Orleans.

scholarly journals High Water: Prolonged Flooding on the Deltaic Mississippi River

Eos ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Gasparini ◽  
Brendan Yuill
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Mississippi River ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
High Water ◽  
Changing Climate ◽  
Lower Mississippi River ◽  
Land Use Practices

Changing climate and land use practices are bringing extended periods of high water to the lower Mississippi River. New management practices are needed to protect people, industry, and the land.

Rebirth

Jockomo ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 109-122
Author(s):  
Shane Lief ◽  
John McCusker
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Hurricane Katrina ◽  
New Orleans ◽  
Mardi Gras ◽  
The Public ◽  
Cultural Life ◽  
The Future ◽  
Major Disruption ◽  
The City

This final chapter describes how Mardi Gras Indians became more prominent in the public eye during the twentieth century. While they were often associated with violent street clashes during the early decades, by the last quarter of the century, a deliberate move towards harmony and growing cooperation led to more peaceful encounters among Mardi Gras Indians. This development paralleled the city’s growing acceptance and ultimate embrace of the Mardi Gras Indian as a cultural icon of the city. Just a few years into the twentieth century, Hurricane Katrina caused a major disruption in the cultural life of New Orleans, impacting the lives of Mardi Gras Indians and throwing the future of their tradition into doubt. Featured in this chapter is another series of interviews in which Mardi Gras Indians describe their struggles to return to New Orleans and their role in leading the city back to recovery and renewal.

Balbancha

Jockomo ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 27-52
Author(s):  
Shane Lief ◽  
John McCusker
Keyword(s):  
Native Americans ◽  
New Orleans ◽  
Mississippi River ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Colonial History ◽  
Mardi Gras ◽  
Native Populations ◽  
Lower Mississippi River ◽  
History Of

This chapter begins with a sketch of the pre-colonial history of the lower Mississippi River Valley, leading to a discussion of various Native populations and patterns of social life which have been neglected in the historiography of the region. Throughout the colonial period, the depth of social interaction among Native Americans, European colonists, and African Americans is revealed by their participation in musical events and spiritual practices. The complex history of peace pipe ceremonies is explored, including an analysis of how these have impacted regional musical styles, ultimately shaping the music of Mardi Gras Indians. The blended legacies of local populations are illustrated by the persistent multilingualism of New Orleans and its environs. The Native origins of Mardi Gras Indians are also evident in the etymology of “Jockomo” itself, showing how ancient regional traditions have been sustained and nurtured within the cultural practices of Mardi Gras Indians.

scholarly journals A Synthesis of Deepwater Horizon Impacts on Coastal and Nearshore Living Marine Resources

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven A. Murawski ◽  
Joshua P. Kilborn ◽  
Adriana C. Bejarano ◽  
David Chagaris ◽  
David Donaldson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Mississippi River ◽  
Deepwater Horizon ◽  
Community Change ◽  
Series Data ◽  
Trawl Survey ◽  
Barataria Bay ◽  
Lower Mississippi River ◽  
Coastal Louisiana

The 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil blowout in the Gulf of Mexico began on April 20, originating in the deep sea 66 km off the Louisiana coast. By early June, DWH oil had spread to coastal Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and western Florida. An estimated 2,113 km of shoreline were oiled, making DWH the largest marine oil spill in global history by length of affected shoreline. Additionally, a series of oil spill response measures were deployed, including diversions of Mississippi River discharge to forestall oil coming ashore, and the establishment of large-scale fishery closures, with both affecting coastal resources to varying degrees. Here, we review published studies and describe additional analyses evaluating long-term impacts of DWH on coastal/nearshore biological resources. We assembled time-series data collected by state, federal and academic partners on population abundance and environmental conditions to evaluate species and community change. Our study focused on plankton, invertebrates, fishes and dolphins, and 13 “key species” were selected to conduct semi-quantitative vulnerability-resilience (V-R) analyses. At one extreme, early life stages of Gulf Menhaden (Brevoortia patronus) were not affected due to seasonal spawning and larval development preceding the spill. In contrast, demographically independent populations of the common Bottlenose Dolphin, (Tursiops truncatus) suffered a variety of severe and ongoing health effects owing to oil exposure. Virtually all of the heavily oiled salt marsh habitat was in Louisiana, with the majority occurring in Barataria Bay. Multispecies trawl survey abundances declined post-DWH throughout eastern coastal Louisiana but remained stable elsewhere. A regime shift in composition of Barataria Bay trawl survey catches occurred during and following the spill, the persistence of which was associated with long-term reductions in average salinity and increases in water clarity. In some cases, fishery closures were associated with measurable but ephemeral increases in abundance of some targeted and bycatch species. Freshwater flooding of marshes was ineffective in preventing coastal oiling and severely affected benthic euryhaline resources including Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica) and Marsh Periwinkle (Littoraria irrorata). The flooding response measure experiment also indicates the directionality of impacts that further planned water diversions may have on ecological communities of lower Mississippi River basins.

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