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Research Centers
Louisiana Environmental Research Center (McNeese State)
McNeese State University
Louisiana Environmental Research Center (McNeese State)
This center operated out of McNeese State University, will be responsible for evaluating various techniques for coastal wetland restoration through various habitat creation and habitat enhancement projects. The center will also evaluate the effects of oil spills on marine/estuarine areas, and the effectiveness of various remediation and restoration techniques. Studies to determine the degree of successful ecosystem establishment and development in a marsh ecosystem created from ship channel sediment, will also be conducted.The center's research will cover:
Studies on the Use of Ship Channel Sediments to Create Marsh Habitat at the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge: These studies will:
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(1) Document the rate and extent of marsh formation by comparing
dredge spoil deposit sites of different ages at the Sabine National
Wildlife Refuge;
(2) Compare the degree and chemical speciation of metal and organic contaminants known or suspected to be in ship channel sediments;
(3) Document and compare the contaminant concentrations in resident biota;
(4) Perform field experiments designed to assess planting densities and species mixes that might enhance the rates of recovery of marsh communities on dredge spoil sites. The center's research will be divided into two areas: Comparative study of the created habitats of different ages (comparing biotic community structure, succession, and sediment and biota contaminant concentrations); and Field Experiments on possible ways to enhance ecosystem recovery.
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(1) Evaluate the potential for use of certain marsh species (ie,
Juncus roemerianus) as bioindicators of oil contamination of sediment
through mutagenic response;
(2) Document the effects of Venezuelan crude oil on selected marsh species and the possible synergistic effects of environmental factors such as salinity;
(3) Study the effectiveness of oil breakdown in laboratory/greenhouse settings of remediation techniques (ie, burning organic "peat-like sorbants, and addition of chemical oxidants).
Louisiana
Applied Oil Spill Research and Development Program 
International Oil Spill Research - Selected Abstracts
Oil
Spill Public Information Center
Ocean Pollution Research Center
Center Publications:
| Views: | All publications | Selected publication types | Journal articles | Publications submitted after final report |
View Projects in Tabular Format
Main Center Abstract and Reports:
Louisiana Environmental Research Center
Center Research Projects:
R829584C001 - Wetland Restoration and Remediation in Southwest Louisiana Marshes: A Study of Soil Elevation, Vertical Accretion, Shallow Subsidence and Root Zone Influences in Marshes Restored Using a Variety of Techniques
R829584C002 - Developing Methods for Identifying Suitable Donors for Wetland Plant Restoration Through Transplantation
R829584C003 - Effects of Salinity and Bottom Substrate Composition on the Growth and Proliferation of Widgeongrass (Ruppia maritima)
R829584C004 - A Comparison of Health Parameters and Parasites in the Marsh Rice Rat Oryzomys palustris From Natural Freshwater, Saltwater, and Restored Marshes in the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge
R829584C005 - Comparison of Metal Concentrations in Soils, Sediments, and Selected Species From the Area Around Chevron Texaco No. 2 Bayou Tank Battery in the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge in Southwest Louisiana and Preliminary Determination of Oxidation State
R829584C006 - Use of The Prairie Garden and Plant Material Center To Collect, Propagate, and Maintain Breeder Blocks and Garden Specimens of Louisiana Prairie And Wetland Ecotypes
R829584C007 - Density of Marsh Periwinkles and Fire Ant Mounds in Natural and Restored Marshes in the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge