We use satellites to characterize the temporal and spatial variations of suspended sediments, chlorophyll a and water temperature that result from the in-flow of relatively cold, sediment and nutrient-rich waters in the Mississippi Delta. Several images each day are obtained in real-time via antenna at the LSU Earth Scan Laboratory (http://www.esl.lsu.edu) We are planning a series of fixed platforms in the Barataria Basin and Breton Sound estuaries (Bay, Coastal, Wetland) to continuously record geophysical, biogeochemical, and ecological parameters along a 'dual gradient' of the coastal basin. Water level, temperature, conductance (salinity), water velocity, and direction will be monitored. At selected stations weather parameters will also be collected. The stations will be equipped with satellite telemetry, allowing for real-time data collection. Monthly transects of the basin at 37 stations are conducted each month to track water quality. Discrete measurements are collected for NO₃ , NH₄ , PO₄ , and SiO₂ , Chl a, HPLC, phytoplankton composition, TOC, and TSS. Monthly transects at 16 stations are conducted each month to track water quality. Measurements of fluorescence, turbidity, salinity, temperature, and light transmittance are collected using a YSI-6600 probe modified for flow-through measurements. Discrete measurements are collected for NO₃ , NH₄ , PO₄ , and SiO₂ , Chl a, and TSS. Approximately four times a year we schedule extra trips to capture event-related phenomena such as frontal passages, unique blooms, hypoxic events, or large storms. These event surveys will be selected per basin depending on pulsed events. In contrast to Breton Sound and Barataria Bay, the Wax Lake Delta is an actively building delta. As such, it is a critical system to monitor and study as a counterpoint and restoration guide to the vanishing wetlands along the majority of the Louisiana coast. Wax Lake Delta Transects at 16 stations are conducted every 6 to 8 weeks to track water quality. Discrete measurements are collected for salinity, temperature, NO₃, NO₂, NH₄, PO₄, SiO₂, Chl a, and TSS.

This project website is supported through funding from the Northern Gulf Institute, a NOAA Cooperative Institute administered by Mississippi State University.