Plumes of sediment clouded the Gulf of Mexico on November 10, 2009, when NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this photo-like image. Much of the material that colors the water is likely resuspended sediment dredged up from the sea floor in shallow waters. Other sediment was washed into the Gulf by rivers.
Tropical Storm Ida is heading to the US Gulf coast where it is expected to dump up to eight inches of heavy rain. A tropical storm warning is in effect from Grand Isle, Louisiana to the Aucilla River of Florida.
Hurricane Ida is moving north through the Gulf of Mexico and a hurricane watch has been issued for Gulf coast areas between Grand Isle, Louisiana and Mexico Beach, Florida. The National Hurricane Information Center will be updating maps of the storm’s projected path on their website.
The Army Corps of Engineers is building a storm surge barrier near New Orleans that hopefully will provide protection against storm surges 20 feet high. This will be one of the largest water control barriers in the world.
Diverting sediment-rich water from the Mississippi River below New Orleans could generate new land in the river’s delta in the next century. The land would equal almost half the acreage otherwise expected to disappear during that period, a new study shows.
Scientists towing a net more than 1500 feet below the surface caught a 19.5 foot-long giant squid in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana. This is the first giant squid seen in the Gulf since 1954.
Severe to exceptional drought conditions are currently present in a number of US States. Southeastern Texas and northern Wisconsin are especially hard hit with broad areas of several other states experiencing drought conditions.
The US Army Corps of Engineers has awarded a contract for rebuilding a portion of the floodwall that protects New Orleans from the waters of Lake Pontchartrain.
Louisiana’s Port Fourchon is a very important oil hub in the United States. The beaches of the area are receding, leaving the port increasingly open to hurricanes. A large storm could be disastrous.
In a recent news release from Chesapeake Energy, data was provided on their expected yield for wells in the various shale plays. They expect the total yield from their Haynesville wells to be 6.5 bcfe, Fayetteville 2.4 bcfe, and Marcellus wells to yield 4.2 bcfe. These numbers might increase as technology improves.
A survey of the Gulf of Mexico shows that this year’s “dead zone” covers an area smaller than anticipated. However, the level of hypoxia is more extreme than usual.
Stormwater runoff and sewage contaminate many US beaches. A study done by the Natural Resources Defense Council sampled, tested and rated 200 of the most popular beaches in the United States – both ocean and freshwater beaches were included in the study. Some of them had consistently high water quality and some had consistently low. You can view the report and a listing of the beaches on their website.
A University of California, Santa Barbara press release discusses the results of a study performed to determine which coastal regions are most affected by humans’ inland activities. The mouth of the Mississippi River is the # 1 most affected area in the world.
The U.S. Global Change Research Program released a report that explains how climate change might impact Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Stronger hurricanes, drought, heat waves and crop losses are a few of the featured problems.
The Census Bureau reports… “The population of New Orleans grew 8.2 percent in 2008, faster than any other large city in the U.S. As of July 1, 2008, the population of New Orleans was 311,853, up from 210,768 in 2006 following Hurricane Katrina but still below the pre-hurricane level of 484,674 based on the 2000 Census.”
It is predicted that the Mississippi River Delta may be inundated in less than a century. The major problem is that there is not enough sediment accumulating in the delta.
Learn about the geology of your favorite state as seen along the highway. This series of books by Mountain Press are filled with maps, photos, park locations and detailed descriptions. Get one before your next trip.
Louisiana State University has some new technology to help people prepare for hurricanes. They have made improvements to their Wave-Current-Surge Information System (WAVCIS).
The-Vug.com has a comprehensive listing of mineral and lapidary clubs from across the United States. It could be the most complete and up-to-date listing on the web. Included are hundreds of clubs and organizations located in all 50 states.
Repairing broken levees quickly during a hurricane or flood can save millions of dollars in damages and possibly some lives. This video includes a demonstration of a new inflatable device that shows promise for making quick repairs.
Last month the Department of Interior failed to honor exploration leases on Utah oil and gas parcels that were won in a December lease sale. Many natural resource companies spent a lot of time preparing to bid in that sale. On March 18th important Gulf of Mexico leases will be up for bid in another DOI sale. A lot more than oil and gas properties are at stake in this sale.
Aubrey McClendon, CEO of Chesapeake Energy, says that the Haynesville Shale might set a record as the world’s largest gas field. He believes that it could produce 1.5 quadrillion cubic feet.
Earth Observatory has a high resolution satellite image of snow cover from last week’s snowstorm in the deep south. Several inches of wet snow fell across parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama on Thursday, December 11, closing schools and businesses in a part of the country where accumulating snow is a rare event.
A rare event today – snow in New Orleans. Some areas of south Louisiana have an accumulation of up to four inches. Schools are closed and lots of inexperienced snow drivers are causing accidents.
This article explores the fact that New Orleans is a city that has seen a significant population decline and will probably not regain the lost number of residents.
A number of people in Louisiana were expecting checks of up to $22,500/acre as signing bonuses for Haynesville Shale leases. They learned on Monday that their expected checks were not funded.
The City of Shreveport leased 2600 acres of land to natural gas companies in 2004 for $1/acre. Recent prices for similar Haynesville Shale leases are thousands of dollars per acre. Now the mayor is trying to get the city out of the deal.
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