Grantee Research Project Results
2002 Progress Report: Human Activities and a Changing Climate in Louisiana
EPA Grant Number: R829420E01Title: Human Activities and a Changing Climate in Louisiana
Investigators: Dagg, Michael
Institution: Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium
EPA Project Officer: Chung, Serena
Project Period: June 10, 2002 through June 9, 2004 (Extended to June 9, 2006)
Project Period Covered by this Report: June 10, 2002 through June 9, 2003
Project Amount: $74,534
RFA: EPSCoR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) (2001) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: EPSCoR (The Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research)
Objective:
Global change will affect Louisiana in numerous ways, including: enhancement of sea-level rise and the associated changes in coastal ecosystems; changing patterns and amounts of fisheries production; changing patterns, amounts, and quality of drainage from land to sea; changes in weather and climate: wind patterns; storm frequency and intensity; and long term shifts to non-hydrocarbon energy sources. Each of these changes will have strong sociological implications in Louisiana, a state heavily dependent on its coastal environments for economic and cultural reasons.The objectives of this research project are to: (1) develop a coordinated, multi-institutional research and education program addressing aspects of global change most relevant to Louisiana; and (2) enhance Louisiana’s capability for understanding and predicting the effects of climate change on state ecosystems, culture, and economy.
Progress Summary:
The Principal Investigator (PI), Michael Dagg, organized and led a meeting with the Science and Engineering Environmental Research (SEER) PIs and Mr. Jim Gershey of the Sponsored Programs Office of the Louisiana Board of Regents, which was held at Louisiana University Marine Consortium (LUMCON) on September 6, 2002. Each SEER presented the planned activities for Year 1 of the project, and Strategic Improvement Plan (SIP) activities for Year 1 of the project, in support of the SEERs, also were discussed. Also discussed were some of the specific SIP activities that were proposed for Year 1 in support of the SEERs, and the development of a broad-based statewide capability for responding to global change.
Development grants for students and postdocs were proposed for awarding in Year 1 of the project for three students from any university in the state to collaborate with three out-of-state, highly visible scientists on some aspects of our theme. This program was modeled after a similar one conducted by Louisiana's National Aeronautics and Space Administration Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) program. An advertisement throughout state universities resulted in awards being made to four students. Each student has an out-of-state collaborator. Awards are for $8,000 each for 2 years. Funds for the extra award were taken from the intern program (see below) for which there was poor response. Development grants funded are:
· Ms. Shaye Sable, a doctoral student at Louisiana State University under the supervision of Dr. James Cowan for a project titled, "Response of Larval Fish to Dimethylsulfide (DMS): An Experiment To Determine a Possible Effect of Climate Change on Fisheries Production in the Gulf of Mexico."
· Mr. Brian Milan, a Masters student at Louisiana State University under the supervision of Dr. Richard Shaw for a project titled, "Fisheries Utilization of Smooth Cordgrass and Black Mangrove Edge Habitat: Implications of Global Climate Change."
· Mr. Lawrence Febo, a doctoral student at Louisiana State University for a project titled, "Investigating the Sediment Archives of Catahoula Lake, Louisiana."
· Ms. Melanie Caudill, a doctoral student at Louisiana State University under the supervision of Dr. Richard Shaw, for a project titled, "The Role of Hydroperiod and Stem Densities in Determining Fisheries Utilization in Black Mangrove and Smooth Cordgrass Salt Marshes: Implications for a Changing Landscape."
A summer internship program for students from any of Louisiana’s universities to work for 10-week summer periods with any of the SEER PIs was proposed. Response to the advertisement was poor, and none of the candidates were selected. Funds proposed for this program were used to support one additional development grant (described above).
Travel grants for non-SEER faculty and students to attend national meetings and give a presentation relevant to our Global Change theme were proposed. Two student awards were made: one to attend the annual meeting of the American Fisheries Society in Quebec City, in August 2003, and one to attend the meeting of the Estuarine Research Federation in Seattle in September 2003. Both students are making presentations in sessions relevant to global change.
Partial support was requested for a science writer to prepare articles for newsletters, newspapers, and gray literature publications on appropriate global change issues. This activity was initiated with an article in the LUMCON newsletter (see http://www.lumcon.edu/news/newsletter/archive/summer_2002.pdf Exit ). Additional articles will be based on scientific activity in the SEERs.
Future Activities:
In Year 2 of the project, the SIP activities initiated in Year 1 will be continued, with the exception of the development grants, which were initially proposed as awards for Year 2 of the project. There will be another round of advertisements and awards for summer interns and travel grants. Articles to be prepared and distributed by the science writer will be increased now that SEER research activities have begun and some tangible results can be reported. A series of monthly seminars on global change issues, to be distributed by the statewide interactive video system to all state universities, will begin on October 2. A scientific workshop, proposed for the middle of Year 2 of the project, will be held in the spring of 2004. Planning for this by the SIP PI has begun. This workshop, to be held at the LUMCON Marine Center, will involve a mix of SEER and instate and out-of-state scientists. Approximately 25-30 scientists will be invited. The objectives will be to identify immediate needs and research directions for global change science as it applies to coastal Louisiana. A workshop report, edited by PI Michael Dagg and the SEER PIs, will be prepared. In Year 2 of the project, SIP funds will support the teaching of a 2-week summer course on Climate Change and Human Impacts in Louisiana, to be presented as part of LUMCON's university education program and to be cotaught by SEER PIs. This course will be open to all qualified students nationally, but traditionally, most of the students taking LUMCON summer courses are from Louisiana.
Supplemental Keywords:
climate change, coastal, Louisiana, LA, global climate, coastal ecosystems, coastal fisheries, wetlands, aquatic ecology, climate variability, fish habitat, global change, global climate change, global warming, land and water resources, watershed., RFA, Scientific Discipline, Air, Geographic Area, Hydrology, climate change, State, Environmental Monitoring, Atmospheric Sciences, Ecological Risk Assessment, wetlands, fish habitat, watershed, global change, Louisiana (LA), coastal ecosystems, aquatic ecology, global warming, land and water resources, climate variabilityRelevant Websites:
http://www.lumcon.edu/news/newsletter/archive/summer_2002.pdf Exit
Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.