Special Programs focuses on cooperative research programs involving SC&E and other LSU units, other universities, and federal and state agencies. Expertise is provided in coastal resource management, wetland loss, planning and development of coastal restoration, hydrologic and habitat modeling, large river management, sediment transport, GIS data development, and technical assistance. Current special programs include the Coastal Marine Institute, Louisiana Geographic Information Center (LAGIC), the Natural Systems Modeling Group, and the Aerial Videotape Survey Program.

Richard Shaw, Interim Dean 225/578-6734 rshaw@lsu.edu

Within the Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences are four research institutes:
Coastal Ecology Institute—CEI research focuses on managing coastal ecosystems. Recent projects have contributed significant knowledge on the effects of flooding regimes on wetland vegetation; coastal Louisiana land loss; impacts of canals and spoil banks; subsidence, accretion, and erosion in Gulf Coast wetlands; vegetation establishment in the Atchafalaya River delta; the link between river borne nutrients and hypoxia in the northern Gulf of Mexico; and wastewater treatment using wetlands.

Dubravko Justic, Director 225–578-6515 djusti1@lsu.edu

Coastal Fisheries Institute—CFI conducts scientific and economic investigations into fisheries issues for state and federal agencies and the recreational and commercial sectors. Multidisciplinary research in ichthyology, ecology, biochemistry, zoology, oceanography, and economics addresses problems such as overfishing, pollution, habitat loss, and resource use disputes that threaten the stewardship of Louisiana’s fishery resources, including its economics and rich coastal heritage.

Richard F. Shaw, Director 225–578-6455 rshaw@lsu.edu

• Earth Scan Lab (ESL)—CSI’s Earth Scan Laboratory supports research, education, public service, and emergency response with near real–time or archival data from satellites or aircraft. These data provide time–lapse digital imagery of temperature and reflectance conditions for monitoring and analyzing coastal and deep–gulf circulation, coastal sediment transport, storm information, oil spills, and vegetation conditions.

Nan D. Walker, Director 225–578-2957

• Wave–Current Information System (WAVCIS) program. The state-of-the-art WAVCIS transmits real–time information from the entire Louisiana coast about sea state, currents, and meteorological conditions from deep to shallow waters to a base station at CSI. The database can be accessed online for applications such as research, emergency response decisions, and ecological monitoring.

Gregory W. Stone, Director 225-578-4728 gagreg@lsu.edu

Wetland Biogeochemistry Institute—WBI research focuses on biogeochemical processes in fresh, brackish, and salt marsh ecosystems. Projects include soil–plant relations and response of wetland plant species to stress of anaerobiosis and salinity; biogeochemical processes of managed and natural wetlands; factors affecting wetland stability and productivity including designs for wetland restoration; biogeochemistry of coastal eutrophication; and global climate change.

Robert R. Twilley, Director 225-578-8810 rtwilley@lsu.edu

• The Shell Coastal Environmental Modeling Laboratory (Shell CEML).