Newswise — With the announcement of LSU's new hurricane and coastal advisory group, Coastal Risks Assessment, or LSU CRA, members of the media may be interested in contacting participating experts for comment or analysis throughout the 2007 hurricane season.
LSU's researchers study all aspects of risks associated with living in the coastal zone, and their areas of expertise include evacuation and emergency preparation; waves, wind and storm surge; water and environmental issues; and coastal land loss.LSU Coastal Risks Assessment Group (LSU CRA) "¢ Robert Twilley, associate vice chancellor of research and economic development at LSU, coordinates the efforts of the CRA. Twilley studies the systems ecology and biogeochemistry of coastal wetlands in the Gulf of Mexico and in Latin America. He currently focuses on developing ecosystem models to forecast the rehabilitation of coastal and wetland ecosystems.
Member Institutes of LSU CRA:Southern Regional Climate Center www.srcc.lsu.edu "¢ Kevin Robbins, director, Robbins' research interests include agricultural climatology and network-integrated data management and delivery systems.
LSU Hurricane Center www.hurricane.lsu.edu "¢ Marc Levitan, director, Levitan studies the effects of hurricane-force winds on structures, conducting wind-tunnel experiments to determine what types of buildings make the best hurricane shelters and to develop and improve construction techniques.
WAVCIS http://wavcis.csi.lsu.edu
"¢ Gregory Stone, director, WAVCIS (Wave-Current Information System), a system of weather buoys in the Gulf of Mexico off Louisiana's coast, provides wave information prior to and during storms. This information is analyzed and distributed to the National Weather Service, the Louisiana Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness and the public. Stone also studies beach erosion following hurricanes and coastal morphodynamics.
Earth Scan Laboratory www.esl.lsu.edu/home/
"¢ Nan Walker, director, The Earth Scan Laboratory (ESL), a real-time satellite data receiving station with capabilities for the reception, processing and visualization of imagery from geostationary and polar-orbiting satellites. The ESL's satellite measurements are valuable in supporting emergency response activities of the LA Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Response, for research and for education of students. Walker has developed unique capabilities for detecting and tracking the Loop Current and eddies in the Gulf of Mexico in real-time and performs research on the effects of these currents on hurricane intensity changes and air-sea interactions. She also studies the impacts of storms on coastal flooding, circulation, sediment transport and hypoxia.
Louisiana Water Resources Research Institute www.lwrri.lsu.edu "¢ John Pardue, director, Pardue's research interests include the detection of levee flaws; the fate and transport of chemical contaminants during hurricanes; passively treating groundwater contaminated with chlorinated solvents in treatment wetlands; environmental impacts; and investigating the uptake of desorption-resistant organic contaminants by wetland plants.
LSU Center for Geoinformatics www.c4g.lsu.edu/ "¢ Roy Dokka, director, Dokka's current research interests center on the application of the Global Positioning System (GPS) and geodetic leveling to study the massive subsidence that is affecting Louisiana's coast and mid-continent, and on understanding the role that tectonism and climate play in creating landscapes.
LSU Transportation Lab "¢ Brian Wolshon, Wolshon studies issues relating to hurricane evacuations and major-event traffic scenarios. His recent projects have included the testing and evaluation of intelligent transportation systems and traffic flow analysis, with particular emphasis in application for hurricane evacuation.
CADGIS www.cadgis.lsu.edu "¢ John Pine, director, Pine studies the potential impact of natural and man-made hazards including the vulnerability of social, economic and environmental resources.
Louisiana Sea Grant www.laseagrant.org "¢ Chuck Wilson, director, Wilson studies fish life history, age and growth, otoliths, artificial reefs, oil and gas impacts on fish, hydroacoustics, essential fish habitat and marine habitat acoustic characterization to assess coastal restoration projects.
CCT www.cct.lsu.edu
"¢ Charlie McMahon, executive director, McMahon oversees high-performance computing resources on the LSU campus and serves as the state executive director of LONI, the Louisiana Optical Network Initiative. He oversees and coordinates statewide LONI resources and activities.
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