Science Plan: Northern Gulf of Mexico: USGS Science Contributions to a Resilient Coast 2006-2011

(FY07 - FY11) Task 1: Coastal ecosystems, habitats and wildlife species

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita severely impacted ecological systems and associated biological resources across the Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama coastal zone. While the full extent of damage is unknown, past studies of hurricane impacts (e.g., Andrew, Camille) suggest that significant change is likely to be widespread and long lasting. These changes have significant potential to impact the functions, goods, and services that coastal ecosystems provide to human communities, including the ability of coastal ecosystems to buffer the coast from impacts of future hurricanes and severe storms, making the region potentially more vulnerable to future storm events. The tasks under coastal ecosystems, habitats and wildlife species include completing the collection of baseline data begun in FY06 in order to document the extent of damage; monitoring change (transitory and permanent) in natural and restored wetland ecosystems and habitat; and landscape modeling and integration which will result in developing the linkages between the physical landscape, storm characteristics, and biological response.

1.1  Assess the impacts of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on coastal ecosystems ...

and biological resources and their habitats, as well as effects on invasive species and wildlife disease by completing data sampling and analyses. Initial aerial reconnaissance and imagery has revealed extensive damage to seagrass meadows, wetlands, and other coastal ecosystems. USGS information and research products will be critical elements of efforts to assess impacts on and future vulnerability of coastal ecosystems and biological resources in the aftermath of Katrina.  (BRD)

1.2  Gulf of Mexico sediment elevation tables.

An ad hoc network of wetland elevation-accretion monitoring stations (surface elevation tables and marker horizons, SET-MH) established before the storms is available to determine wetland elevation-accretion changes caused by these storms. Under this task a systematic network will be developed to monitor and augment the existing SET-MH’s in order to understand the role of chronic low-level stress and infrequent, high-magnitude disturbances on coastal ecosystems of the Northern Gulf of Mexico. (PWRC, NWRC, CMGP, UNO)

1.3  Field instrumentation for isolating and measuring geologic contributions to subsidence in Louisiana.

Magnetic extensometer deployments provide methods for directly observing and measuring compaction in shallow subsurface sediments.  As such, they allow results from recently completed compaction models to be verified and will directly support the LA LCA and MsCIP programs. (CMGP and Pontchartrain Institute of Environmental Sciences)

1.4  Wetlands and Coastal Environments:

Impacts, Protection, and Restoration. The northern Gulf of Mexico coast is a disturbance-driven landscape and distribution of the human population changes combined with degradation of the natural ecosystem create a vulnerable coast. Models that predict the consequences of wetland ecosystem impairment are needed for large-scale planning and to evaluate the impacts of storms on biodiversity and genetic diversity in key populations.  Predictive tools will be developed to assess the vulnerability of our human and ecological systems to disturbance, perturbations, and environmental hazards. Integrated studies will explore the long-term stability and resilience of coastal wetlands in relation to sediment and vegetation dynamics, and their overall contribution to geomorphic landform change. (BRD)

1.5  Fish and Wildlife: Habitat and Population Impacts and Recovery.

Remotely sensed data will be correlated with ground sampling the growth and changes in land use that have occurred or are expected. Information on the process of habitat change (e.g., from salt to freshwater marsh), either human induced or natural resulting from delta building and destruction, will allow aid in coastal planning so that the human population and infrastructure are harmonized with ecological restoration that supports fish and wildlife populations. The priorities for study are endangered species and migratory birds.  (BRD)

1.6  CMGP new start.

Using lessons learned and resources from Tampa Bay, NGOM integrated science will address ecosystem and coastal sustainability in the face of severe storms.  Questions will focus on the role of wetlands and barrier islands in coastal protection and resilience; land use impacts; threshold limits (e.g., tipping points) of ecosystems; and the role of coastal sedimentary processes on barrier ecosystems. (CMGP, BRD, WRD, and Geography). 

1.7  Landscape Modeling and Integration.

The need to apply hurricane wind-field and tracking models to reconstruct wind speed and direction statistics for post-storm response analysis (of species distribution) will be combined with landscape-scale ecosystem models for assessing and predicting coastal ecosystem vulnerability and recovery.  This task will benefit from the ecosystem models already being developed under LCA funding in collaboration with LSU.  One of the outcomes will be more intelligent planning as a result of the information and model results that will link the physical landscape, storm characteristics, and biological response. (NWRC)