Study Finds Glacier Sediments Adding To Louisiana Coast's Sinking

A science team led by Erik Ivins of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., hypothesized that Earth's very slow gravitational flow response to the weight of the sediments, combined with a 130-meter (427-foot) rise in sea level that took place thousands of years ago, are contributing to the sinking of a 199,000-square kilometer (77,000-square-mile) section of coastal Louisiana.

To test their theory, the team developed a physical model of sinking caused by both the weight of the sea level rise and the flow of glacial sediments into the Gulf of Mexico following the retreat of the great ice sheet that covered much of North America some 22,000 years ago. The model spanned the past 750,000 years. Results were compared with actual global positioning system measurements and other geophysical data for southern Louisiana and the Gulf, collected from multiple sources over the past 60 years.

The scientists found the model results were in good agreement with the actual geophysical data, predicting sinking of between 0.1 centimeters (0.04 inches) and 0.8 centimeters (0.3 inches) a year. The highest sinking rates were observed where coastal land loss is greatest, near the center of the Mississippi and Atchafalaya River Delta complexes. The sediments pose a particular challenge for New Orleans, causing it to sink irreversibly at a rate of about 0.4 centimeters (0.17 inches) a year, according to data from a network of global positioning system stations and a model of sediment data collected from the northern Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi Delta.

Edwards Drops Out

John Edwards has decided to drop out of the presidential race. He has decided to focus more on poverty issues. Edwards is here in New Orleans today. He first announced his campaign in December 2006, In New Orleans.

This is a good thing for New Orleans and we wish him all the best.

NOPD Officer Shot and Killed

This is such a sad story coming out of New Orleans today:

A New Orleans Police officer was shot and killed this morning in a parking lot in the 2000 block of Earhart Boulevard betrween Simon Bolivar and Calliope, according to police.

Police said the injured officer is female and from the 6th District. No information is available on the identity of the officer. The officer was rushed to University Hospital, but died shortly thereafter.

Police have blocked traffic in the vicinity of the shooting as they search for the assailant. The parking lot is located outside of a food store, laundromat and clothing store. Police Chief Warren Riley will hold a press conference shortly after 11 a.m. at the hospital to discuss the shooting.

Let's hope they catch those responsible real soon. My heart and prayers go out to her family.

Yes there is crime, but there is a Lot More

Several critics love to point out the criminal statistics in New Orleans. New Orleans, however, is not the only city that is facing an upswing in crime. What we should be concentrating on is the positive. Perhaps Rafael Goyeneche said it best:

There are hopeful signs, however, Goyeneche said, pointing to improved schools in the city since the 2005 storm, grass-roots efforts to tackle crime, and a growing effort to upgrade city life.

"This city is beginning to do some things that I've been waiting 25 years to see," Goyeneche said. "I think there is a renewed sense of purpose; people are focused and demanding more than what was in play before Katrina hit."

Let's work together in moving this city forward.

This Old House Focuses On New Orleans

In a city chock-full of 150-year-old houses with wooden porches and scrolling wrought iron, New Orleans would seem perfect fodder for This Old House.

But when producers of the television show surveyed the city's post-Hurricane Katrina landscape, they found old houses were only part of the story.

They couldn't ignore the pastel-colored homes being built for displaced musicians, or the construction projects spearheaded by actor Brad Pitt. So both will be included in the show's 10-episode series scheduled to begin airing nationally next month on PBS.

Brad Pitt backs "New Orleans" designer homes

Leading American architects have been commissioned to design homes for the New Orleans suburb that bore the brunt of Hurricane Katrina two years ago, under an initiative launched by the actor Brad Pitt.

The architects have been told to design properties that are cheap to build and maintain, robust and environmentally friendly. Thirteen firms were each asked to draw up a 1,200-square-foot house, built between five and eight feet off the ground, with a front porch and three bedrooms. The cost of building and fitting out each home was not to exceed $150,000 (£74,000).

Morphosis, a Los Angeles firm, has designed a property made of lightweight concrete that would float should the city flood again. The New Orleans-based architectural firm Concordia has proposed a home erected on stilts with steep and wide front steps.

Residents can choose which design they would like and building is scheduled to begin next month. One of the key characteristics of the project is that the properties will be built using structural panels that can be easily stored and erected quickly and cheaply.

New Orleans' Homeless

Many people are concern about the present homeless condition in New Orleans. Some of the homeless are transplants from other states who arrived in The Big Easy after Hurricane Katrina with hopes of finding employment. After the hurricane, I met several people traveling to New Orleans with hopes that they would somehow find any type of employment with the rebuilding efforts.

Of the estimated 12,000 homeless in New Orleans, I wonder how many are transients from other states.