The Water Institute

Congrats to Hoonshin Jung, Hydraulics and Water Quality Scientist at The Water Institute, and all co-authors, on their recent publication in Frontiers.     This research modeled the most effective way to build #marshterraces, which are an essential nature-based solution for restoring and protecting Louisiana's coastal wetlands. These earthen berms are designed to reduce erosion, stabilize sediment, and support habitat growth.    To assess their effectiveness, Jung et al. developed a small-scale, high-resolution hydrodynamic model testing common terrace designs based on field data around vegetation and physical parameters (water level, waves, sediment, and terrace elevation). The results?    🌱 100 m box and chevron designs provided the most stability and sediment retention, especially when oriented against prevailing winds and waves.  🌱 Terraces with greater water depth between them retained more sediment.  🌱 Terraces built with organic-rich mud were more stable than those with sand.  🌱 Vegetation played a critical role in boosting terrace resilience—higher biomass significantly increased erosion resistance, particularly in the summer.   🌱 Vegetation had the greatest impact compared to water depth and sediment type.  🌱 SAV habitat potential was primarily influenced by water depth due to the low-energy environment within the terrace field.    This model provides valuable insights that can guide future terrace restoration projects, not just in Louisiana, but in most coastal wetlands around the world.    Read the full paper here -> https://lnkd.in/guhJ4pCX      #CoastalRestoration #NatureBasedSolutions #SustainableCoasts #Resilience #NatureBasedSolution 

But first, the winner! Congratulations to @/mixkellyrick on Instagram for winning our merch giveaway 👏✨ Shop the "But first, science" collection in the science shop now: 🛍️ thewaterinstitute.org/shop

We're working on something and need your help: What images come to mind when you think about culture, community and environment along the Gulf Coast? Let us know in the comments 👇 👇 👇

The American Planning Association awarded City of Jacksonville, Florida the 2024 National Planning Award for Resilience and Sustainability for the “Resilient Jacksonville” strategy – a 50-year framework on multiple scales, covering multiple scenarios, preparing the city for climate change, population growth and urban development. “With climate and decision science grounding the planning process, Jacksonville is implementing a strategic set of actions citywide that meaningfully address its risks while advancing its vision for a thriving future,” said Colleen McHugh, Senior Planner at The Water Institute, “A great deal of care and diligence was taken to ensure that every neighborhood in Jacksonville sees itself in this plan. My hope is that other regions around the country can learn from Jacksonville’s place-based framework for adapting to a changing climate across urban, suburban, and rural areas.” We are proud to have brought our collaborative and cross-disciplinary approach to the table with the city of Jacksonville, their Chief Resilience Officer Anne Coglianese, and all our partners, including SCAPE Landscape Architecture DPC, Fernleaf, Halff, and ADG | Acuity Design Group, as well as government partners, experts, and community members. #APAawards #ResilientJacksonville #ItTakesAPlanner #JacksonvilleFlorida

The American Planning Association has announced that the City of Jacksonville’s Resilient Jacksonville strategy will receive the 2024 National Planning Award for Resilience and Sustainability. Congratulations to the City of Jacksonville and Chief Resilience Officer Anne Coglianese for an award-winning plan, to local working group members who supported its development, and to the planning team members from The Water Institute, SCAPE Landscape Architecture DPC, Halff, ADG | Acuity Design Group and Fernleaf!

#ICYMI: Win our "But first, science" merch collection, including a t-shirt, quarter-zip pullover, a hat, and a tote bag! That's 1 of each piece in the collection! To enter, head over to Instagram and follow the instructions on our pinned post before Thursday, Oct 24 at 5pm CST: 👉 https://lnkd.in/gVUNZems Don't want to leave it to chance? Shop the "But first, science" collection in the science shop now: 🛍️ thewaterinstitute.org/shop #supportresearch #sciencemerch #giveaway #butfirstscience #merch #nolaartist

The Water Institute will be at the inaugural Louisiana Shrimp Festival this weekend at the Broadside from 11am to 7pm! In addition to family-friendly entertainment, live music and food, the Louisiana Shrimp Festival/Shrimp Aid aims to raise awareness about the challenges faced by our local shrimp and fishing industries while creating new economic opportunities for our coastal fishing communities and the broader regional seafood sector. This event will bring together members of the shrimping community, local chefs, industry experts, and community representatives for panels, discussions, and documentary presentations. Stop by our table to take part in local knowledge mapping, play coastal Jenga to win prizes and enter our merch giveaway! See you Sunday from 11-7pm! More info: https://lnkd.in/gNcrZvKv

The Water Institute took the stage yesterday at the Society of Wetland Scientists South Central Chapter 2024 Annual Meeting, sharing research on carbon sequestration and coastal restoration in Louisiana. 🌿 Tim Carruthers discussed the potential for carbon accreditation in coastal Louisiana. While existing blue carbon methodologies have not been applied to the state’s unique ecosystems, Louisiana is well positioned to expand application of them, update them, or develop additional carbon accreditation methodologies or standards on the voluntary carbon market. 📊 Hoonshin Jung shared innovative numerical modeling that assessed greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes in restored marshes near Port Fourchon in coastal Louisiana. His findings reveal that restoration could make the region up to 30% more of a GHG sink compared to no restoration. 🔬 Shawn Doyle explored the uncertainties around coastal carbon flux and key factors that influence carbon capture in Louisiana’s dynamic coastal ecosystem. Results showed the sensitivity of carbon quantification to factors such as soil carbon loss from marsh collapse, methane emissions, and changes in plant productivity. His analysis highlights the importance of reducing uncertainty in carbon fate during land loss and methane emissions to better predict the future carbon balance. A big congratulations to our team for continuing the conversation on the science behind a thoughtful and resilient future coast. #CoastalRestoration #CarbonCredits #GHGReduction #ClimateAction #Methane #WetlandScientists #SWS

Congrats to Renee Collini, Director of the Community Resilience Center at The Water Institute, on co-authoring a paper published last week! About the paper ⬇️ 🌊Coastal areas are constantly being reshaped by waves, tides, storms, and sea-level rise. 🌊A lot of research focuses on these physical processes to describe coming coastal changes, but many studies and data overlook human behavior, limiting the accuracy of projections. 🌊This paper explains the need for evidence-based information on how people behave and four ways that research teams can combine this with our knowledge of natural coastal changes to make better projections of future changes along the coast. 🌊To improve future projections, we need better data on human responses and stronger collaborations across disciplines. This paper is open access and can be read here -> https://lnkd.in/g2wu2bHJ #CoastalChange #ClimateAction #Science #ResilientCoasts #HumanBehavior #ResearchInnovation

Another successful #ResilientEastBiloxi festival in the books with the Community Resilience Center at The Water Institute. We're proud to be a partner of REB, working to promote community-led redevelopment, facilitate dialogue on resilience, addresses socioeconomic challenges, increase capacity for implementing projects, and foster collaboration to improve health outcomes in East Biloxi. In collaboration with the STEPS COALITION and PLACE:SLR, this program focuses on building sustainable, community-driven change. Together, we’re working toward redevelopment that truly reflects the voices and needs of the people of East Biloxi. #Resilience #Biloxi #SustainableDevelopment #FloodRisk #GulfCoastResilience