NGI-LSU Research Groups

At LSU, NGI researchers are investigating coastal ecosystems affected by freshwater pulsing.

This project is developing a suite of liked-simulation models to evaluate the effects of freshwater pulsing on the Barataria Basin and Breton Sound ecosystems. The models operate temporally and spatially and incorporate some of the observations and measurements collected in the projects listed below. The models include hydrodynamics, biogeochemical cycling, primary production, zooplankton dynamics, fish growth, and water quality changes. This project investigates the impact of rising sea level and river input on the nutrient budgets on salt marshes. An important focus is how nutrient cycling between the marsh and the river channel contribute to marsh productivity and accretion. This project focuses of food web links in Barataria Basin and Breton Sound. Community structure is determined by sampling phytoplankton, microplankton, mesoplankton, and fish populations and the temporal and spatial changes in these communities are analyzed. This project focuses on estuarine water quality and the changes that can result from increased nutrient loading in the Barataria Basin and Breton Sound estuaries. Data is collected on phytoplankton community structure and function, focusing on harmful algal blooms (HABs), particulate organic matter (POM), and microbial respiration and algal growth rates.