Application of Disturbance Theory to Assess Impacts Associated with A
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Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2004 Application of disturbance theory to assess impacts associated with a three-dimensional seismic survey in a freshwater marsh in southwest Louisiana Aaron Stuard Bass Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons Recommended Citation Bass, Aaron Stuard, "Application of disturbance theory to assess impacts associated with a three-dimensional seismic survey in a freshwater marsh in southwest Louisiana" (2004). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 1144. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/1144 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. APPLICATION OF DISTURBANCE THEORY TO ASSESS IMPACTS ASSOCIATED WITH A THREE-DIMENSIONAL SEISMIC SURVEY IN A FRESHWATER MARSH IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences by Aaron Stuard Bass B.S., Louisiana State University, 1990 M.S., Louisiana State University, 1993 May 2004 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Many people have assisted me during the various stages of this project. I thank Ted Dove and David Marschall, of Conestoga-Rovers and Associates for allowing me the flexibility at work to complete this project. I also thank Renee’ Sanders, Lane Pitre, Linda McConnell, Cindy Smith, and Lee Bader for providing me with technical assistance during the final report preparation and the staff at the Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge for their logistical support with the field work. The encouragement and guidance provided by my major professor, Dr. R. Eugene Turner is gratefully acknowledged. I also thank the members of my committee: Dr. Richard E. Condrey, Dr. Irving A. Mendelssohn, Dr. Lawrence J. Rouse, Jr., Dr. Phillip J. Bart, Dr. Hamady Diop, and Dr. G. Bruce Williamson. I thank Dr. James Geaghan for his help with the statistical analysis and Dr. Julie Denslow for her critical review of the chapters. I thank my parents, Penny Bader and William Bass for their encouragement and support through all phases of this project. Finally, I thank my wife, Cherami, for always being patient, supportive, and understanding throughout my years as a part-time graduate student. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................. ii LIST OF TABLES...............................................................................................................v LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... vii ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................x CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION........................................................................................1 CHAPTER 2: DISTURBANCE IN WETLANDS: A LITERATURE REVIEW...............4 Introduction....................................................................................................................5 Defining Disturbance.....................................................................................................7 Plant Community Structure and Succession..................................................................8 Existing Concepts on Disturbance...............................................................................10 Comprehensive Reviews of Disturbance in Wetlands.................................................13 Literature Survey .........................................................................................................15 Current Issues in Wetland Disturbance Theory...........................................................35 Conclusions..................................................................................................................44 References....................................................................................................................45 CHAPTER 3: DISTURBANCE HISTORY AT LACASSINE NATIONAL ..................54 WILDLIFE REFUGE Introduction..................................................................................................................55 Data Sources ................................................................................................................61 Disturbance Agents......................................................................................................62 Disturbance Initiated Plant Community Dynamics ...................................................103 Conclusion .................................................................................................................107 References..................................................................................................................108 CHAPTER 4: EFFECTS OF 3-D SEISMIC EXPLORATION ON THE PLANT COMMUNITIES OF LACASSINE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE: A TWO-YEAR FIELD STUDY....................................................................113 Introduction................................................................................................................114 Materials and Methods ..............................................................................................121 Results .......................................................................................................................131 Discussion..................................................................................................................144 Conclusions................................................................................................................152 References..................................................................................................................153 iii CHAPTER 5: MINIMIZING ENVIRONMENTAL DISTURBANCES ASSOCIATED WITH 3-D SEISMIC SURVEYS IN COASTAL MARSHES .............158 Introduction................................................................................................................159 Potential Disturbances to Coastal Wetlands .............................................................168 Minimizing Impacts...................................................................................................173 Restoration Techniques .............................................................................................178 Regulations ................................................................................................................183 Conclusions................................................................................................................189 References..................................................................................................................190 CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION ........................................................................................193 Conclusion .................................................................................................................194 References..................................................................................................................197 APPENDIX A LACASSINE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE NARRATIVE REPORT SUMMARIES............................................................................................................198 B TIMELINE OF EVENTS AT THE LACASSINE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE FROM 1935 THROUGH 1999.................................................................209 VITA................................................................................................................................213 iv LIST OF TABLES page 2.1 Results of selected studies reporting effects of disturbance on wetland vegetation in North America ..................................................................................17 2.2 Ideas and applications of current disturbance theory to coastal wetlands.............39 3.1 Species traits and susceptibilities to disturbance of the dominant species at the Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge ............................................................59 3.2 Primary soil types at the Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge..............................60 3.3 Locations and descriptions of disturbance map units at the Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge .....................................................................................................65 3.4 Timeline of selected disturbances at the Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge .....66 3.5 Expected effects of water level manipulation........................................................73 3.6 Burn frequencies at the Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge from 1939 to 1999 for individual map units................................................................................75 3.7 Expected effects of prescribed burns ....................................................................77 3.8 Expected effects of cattle grazing..........................................................................81