Note: this webinar, scheduled for August 31st, was postponed due to Hurricane Ida and moved to September 15th.

The National Academies’ Gulf Research Program is developing a strategy to advance scientific understanding of the ongoing and future transitions of the Mississippi River Delta and its associated ecosystems in order to inform future societal decisions. This initiative responds to the recommendations in a National Academies report regarding riverine sediment delivery and related diversion and management activities.

An important consideration for this strategy is the work of the ongoing Lowermost Mississippi River Management Program (LMRMP) being conducted by the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority. LMRMP’s objective is to identify and evaluate potential alternative river management strategies that maximize benefits for habitat restoration and conservation; flood protection; and navigation management. Its multiple components include the development of a predictive framework to evaluate the outcomes of alternative river management strategies.

This webinar will cover the background, overview, and motivation of the LMRMP; the technical design of the predictive framework; and further research needs.

Panelists

• Carol Parsons Richards, Coastal Resources Scientist Manager, Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority. Ms. Richards has 20 years of experience in wetland ecosystems. She has planned and managed a variety of coastal Louisiana restoration studies, projects, programs, and initiatives, and is currently the Program Manager for the LMRMP.
• Soupy Dalyander, Senior Research Scientist, The Water Institute of the Gulf. Dr. Dalyander has 20 years of experience in environmental system modeling and analysis to support management and decision-making. She is part of the team developing the alternative river management strategies, environmental scenarios, and analysis framework for the LMRMP.