The overall goal of this project is to conduct a monitoring study in the Lake Maurepas ecosystem, focusing on both the abiotic and biotic components of the lake and surrounding region.
Lake Maurepas Monitoring ProjectStudying and monitoring Louisiana’s rich biodiversity and ecosystems are paramount to both the state’s economy and longevity of its natural resources, particularly in light of on-going and proposed industrial and carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) activities. Southeastern Louisiana University’s Center for Environmental Research at Southeastern Louisiana University is focused on environmental monitoring throughout Louisiana and beyond and has monitoring capabilities that span a variety of ecosystems from aquatic to wetland to terrestrial habitats in our region. In most cases, industrial impacts can be complex and diverse and require the collaborative interactions of multiple scientists across scientific disciplines to comprehensively study and address these issues. No other Institutes or Centers in Louisiana are dedicated to such environmental monitoring or research activities of this nature. Our research Center strives to serve as the independent environmental monitoring entity for industrial and CCS activities and has strengths and expertise in the focal research areas listed below, but we are open to discussion of additional areas of research that may be needed.
Please feel free to reach out to Dr. Kyle Piller, [email protected], Director of the Center for Environmental Research, to discuss a scalable monitoring strategy that fits your project needs.
Tracking species diversity in aquatic, wetlands, and terrestrial ecosystems to assess the impacts of perturbations on species presence and abundance using both traditional sampling and modern environmental DNA (eDNA) approaches.
Gathering baseline data on the physiological health of organisms to determine how perturbations, such as industrial and CCS activities impact organisms. Numerous physiological analyses can be employed for various target species.
Monitoring wetlands through vegetation and habitat monitoring. In addition, we have a rigorous wetland restoration program that includes a large-scale production and planting program for Bald Cypress and Water Tupelo.
Non-Targeted Analyses (NTA) are conducted to detect and identify unknown chemical compounds in environmental, biological, and chemical samples to provide a broad assessment of chemical compounds in an environment.
Microbes are crucial for understanding ecosystems, biogeochemical cycles, and environmental health. Our team monitors microbial communities in soil and water to assess if or how industrial and CCS activities impact microbial communities, which are important for ecosystem and human health.
We develop and implement activities to increase public awareness through the creation of project specific websites, as well as outreach programs and educational paraphernalia. Our outreach and education programs engage students, communities, policymakers, and industry stakeholders to enhance understanding of the potential impacts of CCS and industrial activities.
