Over the last several decades, the Lake Pontchartrain Basin has been impacted by the presence of high levels of Fecal Coliform bacteria following periods of rainfall. This is a potential problem for recreational uses of the area. In 2003 a field sampling study was initiated in the north shore area of the Lake at the mouth of the Tchefuncte River. The objectives were to determine the water quality in the area and to simulate the plume patterns from the Tchefuncte River. Twenty eight stations at the mouth of the Tchefuncte River, and a station at the Madisonville Bridge were selected for study on the basis of proximity to the mouth of the River. Fecal coliform counts were found to be “wet” weather-dependent at the mouth of the River and unsuitable for primary contact recreation for at least two to three days following a rain event. A 3-D finite volume hydrodynamics model (A coupled Hydrodynamical-Ecological Model for Regional and Shelf Seas – COHERENS) and the TECPLOT™ equation feature were used for the prediction of contaminant plumes from the Tchefuncte River into the Lake Pontchartrain. The field data were used to validate the model. The upper limits predicted by the model and those measured in the field were in good agreement. The model used river flow and tidal forcing without wind shear. The model verified that that the wet weather effect lasted for two to three-day after a high storm water discharges at the mouth of the river.

Hypoxia or dissolved oxygen concentrations < 2 mg/L is a problem in estuaries worldwide. In Lake Pontchartrain, a 250 km2 de-faunated zone exists as a result of salinity stratification and episodic hypoxia. Mature common rangia clams (Rangia cuneata) are not found within this zone. Blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) are important estuarine predators and may move in and out of the hypoxic zone to feed on hypoxia-stressed rangia clams. To test the effects of hypoxia on predation, rangia clams were exposed experimentally to severe hypoxic conditions (< 0.75 mg/l) for 72-hours and then presented to blue crabs. One hypoxic and one normoxic clam were added to each aquarium containing a blue crab for each trial, and crab feeding choices were observed and recorded. I found prey choice varied among crabs, but in general, the experimental data demonstrates that crabs chose to feed on hypoxia-stressed clams over clams kept under normoxic conditions.

I assessed the composition of zooplankton communities at the three tidal inlets connecting Lake Pontchartrain to Lake Borgne and subsequently to the Gulf of Mexico. The objectives of my research were to better understand the factors contributing to both spatial and temporal differences in zooplankton communities at the three locations. Monthly samplings of the neuston were conducted from September 2009 until April 2011 and then again from September 2012 until May 2013. Sampling consisted of triplicate tows using SeaGear “Bongo” nets. Water quality data along with water turbidity were recorded at each site and during each sampling effort. All specimens collected during the survey were quantified and identified to the lowest taxonomical unit. The results indicated that there were significant differences among the aquatic invertebrate communities composition among the three sites groups averaged across months (ANOSIM, R= 0.162, p = 0.001). The outcomes from this study could have strong implications for fisheries management and will provide a baseline for future research.

A wind-wave model for Lake Pontchartrain has been developed. This model uses the probability data obtained from the frequency analysis of wind information from the four weather monitoring stations in Lake Pontchartrain. For any given season and any given location, this model generates statistical results of wave heights, wave periods and long-shore sediment transport in 10 degree directional bins along the shoreline of the Lake. This model can be used as an effective tool for planning, construction and maintenance of beaches along the shores of Lake Pontchartrain.

To investigate seasonal patterns of precipitation, statistical analysis was performed on a dataset of daily rainfall observed at 63 south Louisiana stations from 1836 to 2002. Each station record was examined for data quality and continuity with special attention to time periods surrounding station relocation or equipment exchange. Mean Areal Precipitation (MAP) sheets were compiled for every month from 1836 to 2002 to document the daily rainfall across south Louisiana and neighboring portions of southern and coastal Mississippi. Using these MAP sheets, missing data was examined to see if a reasonable value could be substituted to extend the continuity of a station's rainfall record. Once these data quality and continuity checks were completed, a series of statistical tests were conducted to determine an accurate scheme to form station groups. To group stations together, each station was required to have a normal distribution of monthly average rainfall, a statistically equivalent variance, and a statistically equivalent mean when compared with other stations in the group. As a result of the Shapiro-Wilk Test, the F-Test, and the Student T-test, eight station groups were formed. To define seasonal rainfall patterns across south Louisiana, statistical tests were conducted for a 12 month period and six and three month intervals. For the six month intervals, group rainfall averages and pooled variances were calculated for each interval beginning with January-July and ending with December-May. For the three month intervals, group rainfall averages and pooled variances were calculated for January-March and concluded with December-February. To test the hypothesis of a statistically significant difference in mean rainfall between the eight groups for a 12, six, and three month period, the Student T-test was conducted. For an annual basis, there is a statistically significant difference in average rainfall at a five percent level of significance between all of the groups except the Southshore (S.S) group when compared to the SW1 group. For six and three month intervals, statistically significant differences exist between the eight groups especially during winter and segments of the Hurricane season from June to November.

Sphaeroma terebrans (Bate 1866) is an economically and ecologically important cosmopolitan species because this isopod is found burrowed in wood and marine structures of fresh to saline water. Existing literature on S. terebrans focuses on the destruction of red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) in India, Pakistan, and Florida. This study concentrates on S. terebrans habitat and boring preferences in bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) in Lake Pontchartrain near the Bonnet Carre Spillway, Louisiana. In addition laboratory experiments for water column distribution and substrate preferences were conducted using cypress, Styrofoam, and balsa. Results indicate that this population may be parthenogenic and that wood or material hardness determines whether S. terebrans burrow when given a choice of substrates. The lake shoreline near the Bonnet Carre Spillway is retreating and the presence of S. terebrans contributes to shoreline erosion by weakening and destroying cypress. This has implications for restoration projects in coastal Louisiana.

A 1-D tidal, salinity and water quality model that analyzes the general effects freshwater diversions have on the water quality of the Pontchartrain Estuary over a 17-year period is presented here. Using the modeled live algae concentrations in conjunction with the algal bloom probability model results produces an accurate prediction of algal bloom occurrences between 1990 and 2006. The model predicts that the addition of freshwater diversions into Maurepas swamp and increases to flow in the Bonnet Carré Spillway may cause more intense and frequent algal blooms to occur around the Pontchartrain Estuary. The model also predicts that high nutrient input events that occur earlier in the year (January/February) will not likely have algal blooms associated with them. When nutrient input events (even small events) occur in the late spring or early summer, algal blooms have a high probability of occurring when the salinity, temperature and light levels are sufficient.

Margaret Fuller’s and Elizabeth Stoddard’s innovative use of the language of flowers in “The Magnolia of Lake Pontchartrain” and The Morgesons explore multilevel feminine discourse in ways later described by Hélène Cixous and Luce Irigary. Fuller uses flowers symbolically in her text, not mimicking conventional sentimental motifs, but inspiring women’s independence and self-development. Fuller’s flower images become anthropomorphic possibilities for female empowerment which re-envision American women’s social roles and express Fuller’s developing feminism. Stoddard’s use of flowers reflects her realist writing and captures many of the contemporary social applications of flowers. Stoddard, like Alice Walker, sees some artistic agency for women through gardening, but ultimately finds the comparison of women to flowers an antiquated system which holds women back in search of social progress.

A hurricane is a combination of sustained winds, low atmospheric pressures and precipitation. Over the past decades, Louisiana has experienced several devastating hurricanes. The east bank of the City of New Orleans is bounded by Lake Pontchartrain to the North and the Mississippi River to the South. Lake Pontchartrain is a brackish system connected to the Gulf of Mexico through Lake Borgne to the East. As a Hurricane enters the Estuary from the Gulf of Mexico, it imposes a sustained surge of a few meters which may lead to flooding in areas which are not protected by levees. These flood water may be saline. Saltwater flooding is an environmental issue in flooded marshlands since saltwater can be fatal to some plants. The response of salinity and storm surge to hurricane duration which represents the forward speed of the storm is numerically modeled.

In Lake Pontchartrain Basin, commercial fishing in estuarine habitats impacts many non-target species collected as bycatch. I investigated the bycatch assemblages collected by commercial vessels and compared these to assemblages collected by typical fishery-independent methods. I compared assemblages using analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) and determined important species by weight and abundance using similarity percentages analyses (SIMPER). I also examined differences in size-class distributions by gear type using density kernel plots and Mann-Whitney U tests. The two gear types collected significantly different assemblages (ANOSIM R = 0.522, p = 0.001) and gear type explained more composition differences than other factors such as month, daytime, or location. Fishery-independent gear underestimated the importance of many species. Although fishery-independent data are invaluable for monitoring assemblage dynamics, fishery-independent gear collects different assemblages than commercial gear. Larger fishes of important species were caught less often in bycatch, but completely absent from fishery-independent gear.