The Water Institute

Earlier this month, The Water Institute met with project partners from The University of Southern Mississippi’s Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, Department of Interior, Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana and NOAA RESTORE Science Program staff (NOAA Centers for Coastal Ocean Science) for a field trip to the Chandeleur Islands followed by technical updates for continuing co-development of targeted research to inform planning, monitoring, implementation and adaptive management of the estimated $350 million barrier island restoration. Read more about the work being done in the area: https://lnkd.in/gbRbFAFR

I had an amazing week at #AGU2024 with my colleagues and friends! I saw some amazing oral and poster presentations and learned so much about “what’s next for Science” (the conference theme). Caught up with colleagues from over years from college to today. Louisiana to Florida to Mississippi to DC to India to Portugal…from Deepwater Horizon and Katrina to current challenges with coastal restoration we’re tackling today. Thanks to Laurel Larsen and Wietske Medema, phd from Berkeley for being such wonderful hosts and inviting me to speak at the COEQWAL session. They are doing amazing work! (https://lnkd.in/gE2R5BM4) A shoutout to Caitlyn Hall, Ph.D. I caught her talk almost by accident, and it was one of the best I saw at the conference. I had fun catching up with The Water Institute scientists and researchers Mark Bartlett Jr., Ph.D., P.E. John Swartz, Ph.D. Travis Swanson Christopher Esposito And seeing many of the women in research I’ve known over the years grow and progress in their school and careers is one of the most rewarding things I’m honored to witness. Alex C. Eve Eisemann Aya B. A. Mohamed Virginia Walsh. I met Alyssa Wentzel while I was wandering through the poster sessions and she’s an undergraduate with a bright future! Joseph Hughes Mike Fienen Jeremy White Shelby Walker so fun to catch up!

🌊 We’re Hiring: Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) 🌊 Join The Water Institute and help us enhance FloodID, our real-time flood forecasting and decision support tool for emergency operations centers! What You’ll Do: ⚙️ Automate recurring tasks to streamline workflows. ️⚙️ Lead on-call incident response, minimizing downtime during critical moments (especially hurricane season, June–Nov). ⚙️Optimize system performance for stability, scalability, and resilience. ⚙️ Proactively monitor and resolve infrastructure risks. ️⚙️ On-call work is required during hurricane season when FloodID is activated for named storms. Be part of a mission-driven team making a real impact across the Gulf Coast and beyond! What We’re Looking For: ✅ 5+ years in SRE, DevOps, or similar roles. ✅ Expertise in AWS, Kubernetes, Python, Linux, Docker, and Terraform. ✅ Skilled at debugging distributed systems and implementing best practices. ✅ A passion for leveraging tech to address water resource challenges. Learn more and apply today at https://lnkd.in/gdvRhBzY

Martijn Bregman, a member of our research team, presented at the Exploring Coastal Hazards Symposium hosted by Deltares in The Netherlands. The symposium, part of the annual Delft Software Days, marked the 7.5- and 15-year anniversaries of the SFINCS and XBeach models. Martijn shared our ongoing work on simulating compound flooding in Jacksonville using the SFINCS model. This research supports real-time flood forecasting and comprehensive flood risk assessment for the city, while also contributing to the implementation of actions from Resilient Jacksonville, the city's 2023 resilience strategy developed with The Water Institute.

NOAA Office for Coastal Management has announced its fellowship opportunities supporting Climate Resilience Regional Challenge Grant Recipients as they implement projects that build climate resilience within coastal communities. The Technical Support, Project Evaluation and Communications Fellow at the Community Resilience Center at the Water Institute will support the project: Enhancing the United Houma Nation Inc’s Short-, Mid-, and Long-Term Coastal Resilience. More information and apply today: https://lnkd.in/gyU9FPbT Applications are accepted through February 2025, with offers extended in May 2025 and the fellowship program running from June 2025 to June 2027.

Enjoying my time in Washington DC at the American Geophysical Union 2024 conference! Watch the video to learn a little more about #AGU2024 and The Water Institute

Under most circumstances, hurricanes are perceived as agents of destruction that erode coastlines and destroy dwellings and infrastructure. However, for marshes and wetlands they can add much needed sediment and new sources of nutrients helping them to build vertically. As hurricanes move onshore, the accompanying large waves and currents suspend sediment into the water column followed by surge waters that carry this sediment onto wetlands.  A new paper modeled this process using category 2 Hurricane Gustav that struck near Terrebonne Bay on the central Louisiana coast in 2008. By changing various hurricane characteristics, we find that in addition to the importance of storm track, forward speed and intensity cause the greatest net sediment exchange from inner shelf to landward bay and from bay to adjacent wetlands.  Additionally, under most conditions, a shortage of sediment replenishing bays will cause them to deepen over time. As a result, less sediment is transported to the wetlands, thus accelerating their demise. Read the new paper now at: https://lnkd.in/gkjca6eW This paper was authored by a group including The Water Institute’s Ioannis Y. Georgiou (Director of Coastal and Deltaic Systems), Francesca Messina (Researcher), and Michael Miner (Director of Applied Geosciences).  

Congratulations to Alyssa for her successful trip to Armenia last month! Distance and languages are no barrier for bringing structured decision making to communities tackling complex environmental issues!

Exciting progress on the RFP3 project led by Dr. Rachael Hunter and Dr. Robert Lane! Researchers are measuring greenhouse gas emissions and carbon dynamics in Louisiana's coastal freshwater wetlands, focusing on 12 sites around Lake Maurepas in collaboration with Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana. 💡 Highlights include a September 20 workshop where students from Delgado Community College and Nunez Community College were trained on field methods, helping foster the next generation of environmental scientists. 🔬 Using innovative floating chambers, they completed their first sampling on October 8, 2024, overcoming challenges like water hyacinth barriers to access remote sites. 📏 This project advances greenhouse gas measurement techniques and provides critical baseline data ahead of the Maurepas diversion project. About the images (courtesy of Comite Resources): 1. Floating chambers built for greenhouse gas collection in flooded wetlands. 2. Dr. Rob Lane describing how chambers are used for greenhouse gas quantification 3. Greenhouse Gas Sampling, CRMS0039. October 8, 2024. About the RESTORE Act Center of Excellence for Louisiana: The Center of Excellence, a separate program within The Water Institute, supports research aligned with Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan through competitive grants and oversight. The Water Institute became Louisiana’s Center of Excellence following key milestones, starting with the RESTORE Act’s signing in July 2012, which allocated funds for Centers of Excellence in Gulf Coast states. In April 2014, CPRA selected the Institute for this role, and in October 2015, the U.S. Department of the Treasury approved CPRA’s grant application to fund the program.

#ICYMI: The Water Institute President & CEO, Beaux Jones, shared this inspiring vision, the steps Louisiana takes with its Coastal Master Plan, and more on the Ten Across Conversations podcast episode, "Want to Understand the Future of U.S. Climate Resilience? Look to the Gulf Coast." “Louisiana can be a model. The Gulf Coast can be a model for the rest of the country and the rest of the world… Every time we do something, we must think about leaving breadcrumbs for others to follow—whether it’s through sharing research, open-source technology, or creating tools that empower action.” 🎙Listen now: https://lnkd.in/gzwVTAZp