Research Proposal on Restoration of Louisianas Coastal Wetlands

The topic deals with the restoration of Louisianas coastal wetlands. Previous research studies show that they are vulnerable as they are lost at a frequency of 60 square kilometres every year CITATION Kri17 \l 1033 (Jankowski, Tornqvist, & Fernandes, 2017). Loss of coastal wetlands presents numerous perilous consequences on Louisianas coastal ecosystem and nearby communities. The present-day controversies surrounding the concept of restoring the coastal wetlands revolve around the restoration methods with one side advocating for changing Mississippi Deltas riverine structure and hydrological configuration of the coastline while others support the use of salt marsh vegetation. The proposal analyzes the controversies surrounding the restoration and protection of Louisianas coastal wetlands to propose an effective method.

Controversies

The controversies surrounding the protection and restoration of Louisianas coastal wetlands originate from the attempt to balance societal choices and the cost involved in the reclamation process. One side supports restructuring the hydrological morphology beginning with Mississippi Delta River and the use of narrowed landscapes such as levees, ridges and barrier islands. Levees are constructions for protecting the coastal wetlands against hurricanes and storms. Their front sides assist in redistributing upwelling water hence reducing the surge level and consequently the surge impact. Mississippi River's Old River Control Structure is an example of the hurricane protection program CITATION Bra13 \l 1033 (Couvillion, Steyer, Wang, Beck, & Rybczyk, 2013). Narrowing the coastal landscapes through restructuring Mississippi Delta River and constructing ridges or barrier islands play a significant role in wave attenuation. Individuals opposing the reduction of surge level and attenuation of waves by restructuring Mississippi River and building culverts, ridges and barriers cite cost issues and the possibility of the process altering saltwater and freshwater mix in the marshes which can attract criticism and lawsuits from oyster fishers. Coast 2050 plan details the possible scientific ways of achieving lowered surge level and attenuation of waves through coastline restructure CITATION Den04 \l 1033 (Reed & Wilson, 2004).

The other side of the controversy are individuals advocating for nature and natural-based projects that restore the coastal wetlands through sediment diversion and enhancing salt marsh vegetation coverage to reduce land accretion CITATION Chr11 \l 1033 (Shepard, Crain, & Beck, 2011). According to Colten (2017), the benefits of the use of vegetation include floodwater and wave attenuation as the vegetation impose a frictional drag on the energy of currents, tides and waves thus reducing their impact on the wetlands. Furthermore, marsh vegetation reduces the durations and peaks of the floods through drainage and storage of floodwaters thus protecting the coastline ecosystem. Narayan et al. (2016), on the other hand, outline the role of vegetation in the protection and restoration of coastal wetlands which include shoreline stabilization defines as the procedure of salt marsh vegetation promoting deposition of sediments which consequently increase the elevation of the marshes. The supporters of the use of vegetation in the wetlands restoration controversy cite the reduced cost of implementation of related projects and possible reduction of the impacts of storm surge and damping waves to safeguard Louisianas coastal ecosystem and inland communities CITATION EBa13 \l 1033 (Barbier, Georgiou, Enchelmeyer, & Reed, 2013).

The research will strike a balance between the two controversies and provide a roadmap for achieving a 21st-century approach to Louisiana coastal wetlands problem that includes ecosystem restoration, reclamation of deltaic and riverine processes including improving Mississippi River Delta. The goal of the research is to propose a suitable strategy towards wave and floodwater attenuation, and reduction of surge-level to reduce the impact of tsunamis, hurricane and storms.

Thesis Statement

At the advent of climate change, tsunamis, hurricanes, and storms have transient effects on Louisianas vulnerable coastal wetlands. Restoration through salt marsh vegetation and restructuring hydrological landscape for wave attenuation and shoreline stabilization will preserve immense benefits that coastal wetlands offer coastal ecosystems and inland communities.

References

BIBLIOGRAPHY Barbier, E., Georgiou, I., Enchelmeyer, B., & Reed, D. (2013). The Value of Wetlands in Protecting Southeast Louisiana from Hurricane Storm Surges. PLoS ONE , 8(3): e58715. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0058715.

Colten, C. (2017). Environmental Management in Coastal Louisiana: A Historical Review. Journal of Coastal Research, 33(3): 699-711. https://doi.org/10.2112/JCOASTRES-D-16-00008.1.

Couvillion, B. R., Steyer, G. D., Wang, H., Beck, H. J., & Rybczyk, J. M. (2013). Forecasting the effects of coastal protection and restoration projects on wetland morphology in coastal Louisiana under multiple environmental uncertainty scenarios. Journal of Coastal Research, 23(2): 29-50.

Jankowski, K., Tornqvist, T. E., & Fernandes, A. M. (2017). Vulnerability of Louisianas coastal wetlands to present-day rates of relative sea-level rise. Nature Communications, 8(1472): 19-39.

Narayan, S., Beck, M. W., Reguero, B. G., Losada, I. J., Wesenbeeck, B. v., Pontee, N., . . . Burks-Copes, K. A. (2016). The Effectiveness, Costs and Coastal Protection Benefits of Natural and Nature-Based Defences. PLOS, 1(2): https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0154735.

Reed, D., & Wilson, L. (2004). Coast 2050: A new approach to restoration of Louisiana Coastal Wetlands. New Orleans: University of New Orleans.

Shepard, C. C., Crain, C. M., & Beck, M. W. (2011). The Protective Role of Coastal Marshes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. PLOS, 2(1): https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0027374.