The Mississippi River Delta Transition Initiative (referred to as ‘MissDelta’) is a new long-term project of the Gulf Research Program (GRP). The Mississippi Delta is a landscape with investments and research from a range of actors, and this initiative aims to fill research gaps through a cooperative, collaborative program that bridges the GRP, academic institutions, communities, and government and NGO end users. The GRP is supporting the Mississippi River Delta Transition Initiative to improve (1) the current scientific understanding regarding the future projections and evolution of the lowermost region of the Mississippi River Delta (referred to as the Birdsfoot region) and (2) the potential implications of these projected future changes on Gulf ecosystems, infrastructure, communities, and existing and future regional management plans. The GRP is inviting a joint application from Louisiana State University and Tulane University to lead the development of an integrated research consortium to address four objectives:

1. Future Projection Development. Project the future evolution of the Birdsfoot region at multiple time frames that support the needs of the Gulf community under various environmental and human-influenced scenarios. Projections should consider the ecological implications for the broader deltaic plain.
2. Management Evaluation. Evaluate various management strategies for the allocation of water and sediments within the Birdsfoot region based on future projections. Assess the consequences of the Birdsfoot region’s future evolution on ecosystems, natural resources, and energy operations in the Gulf of Mexico.
3. Workforce Diversity. Broaden the diversity and number of scholars working on coastal-deltaic issues in the Gulf of Mexico region and seek to diversify the representation of experts, at both the individual and the institutional level throughout various groups (research, education, and outreach) within the Initiative.
4. Socioeconomic Resilience. Assess the socioeconomic effects on community resilience under scenarios of altered navigation, fishing/fisheries, and energy output or operations, including implications for disaster management and infrastructure due to changes in the Birdsfoot region.