LSU Civil & Environmental Engineering Team Examines Effects of Rising Sea Levels Along Texas Coastal Bend
July 10, 2023
A team of LSU Civil and Environmental Engineering researchers are working on the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Effects of Sea Level Rise (ESLR) project.
They are examining natural feature evolution under rising sea levels and its ability
to mitigate coastal flooding in the Texas Coastal Bend region.
“Coastal communities are facing growing pressure due to the combined effects of rising sea levels, climate change, and human activities,” LSU Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor Chris Kees said. “As the probability of flood hazards and events increases in coastal areas, implementing multiple lines of coastal defense is critically important to minimize and mitigate flooding risks. We evaluate the impacts of coastal flooding using a well-established coastal and ocean model (ADCIRC+SWAN), which can simulate tidal hydrodynamics, hurricane storm surges, and wind-driven waves from the Western North Atlantic Ocean into the coastal land margin of the Texas Coastal Bend."
This project by Kees and the rest of his team of researchers is a prime example of LSU's commitment to combatting coastal erosion along the Gulf of Mexico as part of the Scholarship First Agenda.