Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University is a university that is part of the pulse of the water sector. Here we bring together everything it publishes on Smart Water Magazine: its news, its blogs and the events it takes part in.
Study shows landbuilding, site of freshwater diversion
Supporters of the large-scale Mississippi River sediment diversions currently being planned by the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority got a boost to their case recently when Louisiana State University (LSU) College of the Coast & Environment scientists published an analysis of two existing freshwater diversions on the state's coastline, one of which shows a […]
River experts weigh in as Mississippi River levels reach record low
In the month of October, the Mississippi River has seen record low levels from Illinois to Louisiana. In Baton Rouge, the level is revealing a more than 100-year-old sunken ferry and the underbelly of the USS Kidd. "While this is the time of the year when the river levels are usually low, we typically do […]
Climate change exacerbated hurricane Harvey’s flood damage, hitting low-income communities harder
New research published shows that if it were not for the impact of climate change, up to 50 percent of residences in Houston's Harris County would not have been flooded by Hurricane Harvey five years ago. The study, published in Nature Communications, coincides with the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Harvey, a Category 4 hurricane that made landfall […]
How AI can predict coastal flooding
More than half of the U.S. population lives in coastal watershed parishes or counties that generate 58 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product. These coastal communities and infrastructure are especially vulnerable to wind and flooding due to tropical storms, hurricanes, and heavy rainfall. With the aid of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) techniques, […]
Transcending boundaries in Louisiana watershed management
Often local and regional regulations impact the natural environment beyond the jurisdiction for which they were developed. Scientists in LSU's College of the Coast & Environment are analyzing Louisiana's patchwork of regulations to get a big picture view of how they are influencing current conditions in the coastal watershed. This research is part of the […]
Cleaning up the Mississippi River
Louisiana State University College of the Coast & Environment Boyd Professor R. Eugene Turner reconstructed a 100-year record chronicling water quality trends in the lower Mississippi River by compiling water quality data collected from 1901 to 2019 by federal and state agencies as well as the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board. The Mississippi River […]
Louisiana State University tracks COVID-19 through wastewater
Testing for SARS-CoV-2, the official name for coronavirus, has been a sticking point since the respiratory virus entered the United States at the beginning of 2020. The fact that anyone can have the virus, even after testing negative, coupled with the fact that nearly 25% of those with it are asymptomatic, leaves many questioning whether […]
Restoring canals shown as cost-efficient way to reverse wetland loss
LSU Boyd Professor of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences R. Eugene Turner has determined a cost-effective way to prevent coastal erosion and protect Louisiana’s wetlands. Along with LSU alumna and now University of Central Florida Postdoctoral Fellow Giovanna McClenachan, Turner proposes a simple and inexpensive way to fill in canals that were once used for oil […]