Ecosystem restoration in Louisiana — a decade after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Shore & Beach ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 38-48
Author(s):  
Syed Khalil ◽  
Gregory Grandy ◽  
Richard Raynie
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Gulf Coast ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Deepwater Horizon ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Federal Agencies ◽  
The State ◽  
Coastal Protection ◽  
Louisiana Coast

Louisiana has a long history of coastal management and restoration actions with multiple projects implementing common approaches. Traditionally, most of the restoration efforts have been ongoing in Louisiana by state and federal agencies through the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA). These activities are now being expanded significantly through additional funding and implementing entities such as the Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States (RESTORE) Act of 2012 Council, National Resource and Damage Assessment (NRDA) through the Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group (LA TIG), and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF). Considering a broader ecosystem or landscape context for implemented restoration projects can provide a framework for emphasizing commonality of restoration goals. Such a framework allows for multiple benefits of restoration efforts to be quantified, including prioritized natural resources, ultimately assessing the effectiveness of large-scale restoration efforts in coastal Louisiana. Three disasters have completely changed the trajectory of Louisiana’s coastal resto- ration and protection program. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita (2005) compelled the state to take serious note of the vagaries of nature, especially high-energy events like hurricanes, and to develop a comprehensive/robust coastal protection and restoration plan. Five years later, the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill exposed the fragility of the Louisiana coast but at the same time penalty monies provided much needed funding to implement the state’s coastal protection and restoration plans. This paper provides a high-level assessment of project implementation and makes the case that Louisiana could move quickly in the implementation of various restoration plans because robust and comprehensive restoration plans were previously developed and are available. Here, it must be appreciated that for the first time, dedicated funding is available not only for regional programmatic monitoring to implement adaptive management, but also for development of the art and science of restoration. It is also suggested that for efficient and cost effective implementation of Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan federal agencies must work in tandem with the state/CPRA who not only bring the most comprehensive plan but expertise along with institutional knowledge to the table.

Restoring barrier habitat in Louisiana to compensate for natural resource injuries: Shell Island and Chenier Ronquille Barrier Restoration Projects

Shore & Beach ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 65-71
Author(s):  
Whitney Thompson ◽  
Christopher Paul ◽  
John Darnall
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Barrier Island ◽  
Deepwater Horizon ◽  
Coastal Protection ◽  
Restoration Project ◽  
Island Restoration ◽  
Barataria Basin ◽  
Outer Coast

Coastal Louisiana received significant funds tied to BP penalties as a result of the Deepwater Horizon incident. As it is widely considered that the State of Louisiana sustained most of the damage due to this incident, there has been a firm push to waste no time in implementing habitat restoration projects. Sustaining the land on the coast of Louisiana is vital to our nation’s economy, as several of the nation’s largest ports are located on the Gulf coast in Louisiana. In addition, the ecosystems making up the Louisiana coast are important to sustain some of the largest and most valuable fisheries in the nation. Funded by BP Phase 3 Early Restoration, the goals of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) Outer Coast Restoration Project are to restore beach, dune, and marsh habitats to help compensate spill-related injuries to habitats and species, specifically brown pelicans, terns, skimmers, and gulls. Four island components in Louisiana were funded under this project; Shell Island Barrier Restoration, Chenier Ronquille Barrier Island Restoration, Caillou Lake Headlands Barrier Island Restoration, and North Breton Island Restoration (https://www. gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/louisiana-outer-coast-restoration, NOAA 2018). Shell Island and Chenier Ronquille are critical pieces of barrier shoreline within the Barataria Basin in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. These large-scale restoration projects were completed in the years following the Deepwater Horizon incident, creating new habitat and reinforcing Louisiana’s Gulf of Mexico shoreline. The Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) finished construction of the Shell Island NRDA Restoration Project in 2017, which restored two barrier islands in Plaquemines Parish utilizing sand hydraulically dredged from the Mississippi River and pumped via pipeline over 20 miles over levees and through towns, marinas, and marshes to the coastline. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) also completed the Plaquemines Parish barrier island restoration at Chenier Ronquille in 2017 utilizing nearshore Gulf of Mexico sediment, restoring wetland, coastal, and nearshore habitat in the Barataria Basin. A design and construction overview is provided herein.

scholarly journals Coping with oil spills: oil exposure and anxiety among residents of Gulf Coast states after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary Goldman ◽  
John A. Kaufman ◽  
J. Danielle Sharpe ◽  
Amy F. Wolkin ◽  
Matthew O. Gribble
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Gulf Coast ◽  
Deepwater Horizon ◽  
Tobit Regression ◽  
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Drilling Rig ◽  
Oil Exposure

Introduction: In April 2010, a fatal explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico resulted in the largest accidental marine oil spill in history. This research describes the association of oil exposure with anxiety after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and evaluates effect modification by self-mastery, emotional support, and cleanup participation. Methods: To assess the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted the Gulf States Population Survey, a random-digit-dial telephone cross-sectional survey completed between December 2010 and December 2011 with 38,361 responses in four different Gulf Coast states­: Louisiana, Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi. Anxiety severity was measured using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder symptom inventory. We used Tobit regression to model underlying anxiety as a function of oil exposure and hypothesized effect modifiers, adjusting for socio-demographics. Results: Latent anxiety was higher among those directly exposed to oil than among those who were not directly exposed to oil in confounder-adjusted models (β=2.84, 95% CI: 0.78, 4.91). Among individuals exposed to oil, there was no significant interaction between participating in cleanup activities and emotional support for anxiety ( P=0.16). However, among those directly exposed to oil, in confounder-adjusted models, participation in oil spill cleanup activities was associated with lower latent anxiety (β=-3.50, 95% CI: -6.10, -0.90). Conclusion: Oil contact was associated with greater anxiety, but this association appeared to be mitigated by cleanup participation.

scholarly journals Using Precision Environmental Health Principles in Risk Evaluation and Communication of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 599-616 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Jackson ◽  
Meng Huang ◽  
Harshica Fernando ◽  
Ghulam Ansari ◽  
Marilyn Howarth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Risk Evaluation ◽  
Gulf Coast ◽  
Deepwater Horizon ◽  
Communication Strategy ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Adverse Health Effects ◽  
Polycyclic Aromatic ◽  
Risk Of Exposure ◽  
Pah Toxicity

This article provides a description of the rationale and processes adopted by the Gulf Coast Health Alliance: Health Risks related to the Macondo Spill consortium to evaluate and communicate the risk of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in seafood over several years following the Deepwater Horizon disaster and subsequent oil spill. We examined gaps in knowledge associated with PAH toxicity following exposure to petrogenic (oil-derived) PAHs by studying the metabolic fate of PAHs and their potential toxicity using sophisticated analytical methods. Using the data generated, we developed a risk communication strategy designed to meet the needs of the stakeholder communities including a consumption guideline calculator, a web-based tool to reconcile seafood consumption with risk of adverse health effects.

Ionic liquid electrolytes supporting high energy density in sodium-ion batteries based on sodium vanadium phosphate composites

2018 ◽  
Vol 54 (28) ◽  
pp. 3500-3503 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. V. Manohar ◽  
Tiago Correia Mendes ◽  
Mega Kar ◽  
Dabin wang ◽  
Changlong Xiao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Storage ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Sodium Ion ◽  
High Energy Density ◽  
Sodium Ion Batteries ◽  
Vanadium Phosphate ◽  
Energy Storage Devices ◽  
Storage Devices

Sodium ion batteries (SIBs) are widely considered as alternative, sustainable, and cost-effective energy storage devices for large-scale energy storage applications.

scholarly journals Deepwater Horizon oil spill impacts on Alabama beaches

2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. 3639-3649 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. S. Hayworth ◽  
T. P. Clement ◽  
J. F. Valentine
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Gulf Coast ◽  
Deepwater Horizon ◽  
Sandy Beaches ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Ecological State ◽  
Current State ◽  
Physical Chemical ◽  
Long Term Consequences

Abstract. From mid June 2010 to early August 2010, the white sandy beaches along Alabama's Gulf coast were inundated with crude oil discharged from the Deepwater Horizon well. The long-term consequences of this environmental catastrophe are still unfolding. Although BP has attempted to clean up some of these beaches, there still exist many unanswered questions regarding the physical, chemical, and ecological state of the oil contaminated beach system. In this paper, we present our understanding of what is known and known to be unknown with regard to the current state of Alabama's beaches in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Motivated by our observations of the evolving distribution of oil in Alabama's beaches and BP's clean-up activities, we offer our thoughts on the lessons learned from this oil spill disaster.

Biological Synthesis of Nanosilver by Using Plants

2015 ◽  
Vol 1109 ◽  
pp. 30-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.K. Nahar ◽  
Zarina Zakaria ◽  
U. Hashim ◽  
Md Fazlul Bari
Keyword(s):  
Silver Nanoparticles ◽  
Green Chemistry ◽  
Metallic Nanoparticles ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Environmentally Benign ◽  
Biological Synthesis ◽  
Promising Area

Nanotechnology is a most promising area that is increasing day by day and play a vital role in environments, biotechnological and biomedical fields. In recent years, the development of effective green chemistry methods for synthesis of various metal nanoparticles has become a main focus of researchers. They have investigated to find out a sustainable technique for production of well-characterized nanoparticles. A variety of chemical and physical methods have been exploited in the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and these procedures remain expensive, high energy consumption and involve the use of hazardous chemicals. Therefore, there is an essential need to develop environmentally benign and sustainable procedures for synthesis of metallic nanoparticles. Increasing awareness of green chemistry and biological processes has need to develop a rapid, simple, cost-effective and eco-friendly methods. One of the most considered methods is production of nanosilver using plants and plant-derived materials which is the best candidates and suitable for large-scale biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles. Eco-friendly bio-organisms in plant extracts contain proteins, which act as both capping and reducing agents forming of stable and shape-controlled AgNPs. This review describes the recent advancements in the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles by using plants.

scholarly journals Correction: Patel et al. Resilience: Examining the Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on the Gulf Coast Vietnamese American Community. Soc. Sci. 2018, 7(10), 203

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 74
Author(s):  
Megha Patel ◽  
Leia Saltzman ◽  
Regardt Ferreira ◽  
Amy Lesen
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Gulf Coast ◽  
Deepwater Horizon ◽  
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill ◽  
Vietnamese American

The authors wish to make the following change to their paper (Patel et al. 2018). [...]

The Vietnamese Community Members Who Were Part of GC-HARMS Are More Aware of Their Health, Environmental Impacts on Their Health, and How They Can Have Better Health: An Interview With Dustin Nguyen

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 637-650
Author(s):  
John Sullivan ◽  
Beth Rosenberg
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Affordable Care Act ◽  
Gulf Coast ◽  
Deepwater Horizon ◽  
Commercial Fishing ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Community Project ◽  
Financial Difficulties ◽  
Vietnamese Community

In this interview, Mr. Nguyen, Gulf Coast Health Alliance: Health risks related to the Macondo Spill Vietnamese community project hub manager (D’Iberville, Mississippi), describes his community’s cultural and financial difficulties finding adequate avenues for healthcare and wellness information before the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. He comments extensively on how the project’s clinical component in tandem with the Affordable Care Act promoted transformational changes in access to healthcare for his community and comments on generational shifts within the community in terms of language marginalization, its relationship to the pace of acculturation, and the allure of commercial fishing as a livelihood and a career.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document