1981 - 8 Biological Services Program FWS/OBS-79/30 October 1981 An Introduction to the Environmental Literature of the Mississippi Deltaic Plain Region 44 ~.i u u u L !.~ Bureau of Land Management Fish and Wildlife Service 10 U.S. Department of the Interior D. 3 The Biological Services Program was established within the U .S . Fish and Wildlife Service to supply scientific information and methodologies on key environmental issues that impact fish and wildlife resources and their supporting ecosystems . The mission of the program is as follows : To strengthen the Fish and Wildlife Service in its role as a primary source of information on national fish and wild- life resources, particularly in respect to environmental impact assessment . ~ To gather, analyze, and present information that will aid decisiolxnakers in the identification and resolution of problems associated with major changes in land and water use . ~ To provide better ecological information and evaluation for Department of the Interior development programs, such as those relating to energy development . Information developed by the Biological Services Program is intended for use in the planning and decisionmaking process to prevent or minimize the impact of development on fish and wildlife . Research activities and technical assistance services are based on an analysis of the issues, a determination of the decisionmakers involved and their information needs, and an evaluation of the state of the art to identify information gaps and to determine priorities . This is a strategy that will ensure that the products produced and disseminated are timely and useful . Projects have been initiated in the following areas : coal extraction and conversion ; power plants ; geothermal, mineral and oil shale develop- ment ; water resource analysis, including stream alterations and western water allocation ; coastal ecosystems and Outer Continental Shelf develop- ment ; and systems inventory, including National Wetland Inventory, habitat classification and analysis, and information transfer . The Biological Services Program consists of the Office of Biological Services in Washington, D .C ., which is responsible for overall planning and management ; National Teams, which provide the Program's central scientific and technical expertise and arrange for contracting biological services studies with states, universities, consulting firms, and others ; Regional Staffs, who provide a link to problems at the operating level ; and staffs at certain Fish and Wildlife Service research facilities, who conduct in-house research studies . FWS/OBS-79/30 October 1981 AN INTRODUCTION TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL LITERATURE OF THE MISSISSIPPI DELTAIC PLAIN REGION by Johannes L . van Beek Donny J . Davis Rod E . Emmer S .A . Hsu Irving A . Mendelssohn Dugan S . Sabins Charles L . Wax Karen M . Wicker Coastal Environments, Inc . 1260 Main Street Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802 James B . Johnston and Martha W. Young Project Officers National Coastal Ecosystems Team U .S . Fish and Wildlife Service 1010 Gause Boulevard Slidell, Louisiana 70458 Robert M . Rogers Contracting Officer's Authorized Representative Bureau of Land Management 500 Camp Street New Orleans, Louisiana 70130 This study was co-sponsored by the Bureau of Land Management U .S . Department of the Interior Performed for Biological Services Program Fish and Wildlife Service U .S . Department of the Interior Washington, DC 20240 DISCLAIMER The opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Office of Biological Services, Fish and Wildlife Service, U .S . Department of the Interior, nor does mention of trade names or commerical products con- stitute endorsement or recommendation for use by the Federal Government . PREFACE This report is a review of selected environmental literature of the Mississippi Deltaic Plain Region . This review introduces some of the major ecosystem components and processes, describes oil and gas production activi- ties, and guides the reader to available literature . The seven chapters in this review and the number of references used for each are as follows : Introduction - 5 ; Geology - 147 ; Hydrology - 98 ; Climate and Air Quality - 78 ; Plants, Fish, and Wildlife - 277 ; Ecology - 135 ; and Oil and Gas - 70 . The format of each chapter is not always the same, but considera- tion is given to data deficiencies and research needs . This report may serve as a general reference work and aid in the synthesis of more specialized sub- ject material . This project was conducted under Contract FWS 14-16-0009-78-090 . Funding was provided by the Bureau of Land Management and 11 .5 . Fish and Wildlife Service . This study is designed to be used in planning for Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas development and for coastal zone management needs . Questions regarding this publication or requests for copies should be directed to : Information Transfer Specialist National Coastal Ecosystems Team U .S . Fish and Wildlife .`service NASA/Slidell Computer Complex 1010 Gause Boulevard Slidell, Louisiana 70458 This report should be cited : van Beek, J .L ., D .J . Davis, et al . 1981 . An introduction to the environmental literature of the Mississippi Deltaic Plain Region . U .S . Fish and Wildlife Service, Biological Services Program . FWS/OBS -79/30 . iii CONTENTS PREFACE . iii FIGURES . viii TABLES . ix ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS CHAPTER I . INTRODUCTION - . - REFERENCES . 8 CHAPTER II . GEOLOGY INTRODUCTION . 9 GEOLOGY . 14 Forms and Processes in the Mississippi Deltaic Plain Region . 14 Forms in the Deltaic Plain . 15 Forms in the Estuary-Lagoon System . 17 Soils in the Mississippi Deltaic Plain Region . 19 Processes in the Mississippi Deltaic Plain Region . 19 Analysis of Geomorphic Knowledge in the Mississippi Deltaic Plain Region . 22 Deltaic Plain . 23 Estuary-Lagoon System . 28 GAPS IN KNOWLEDGE . 29 RECOMMENDATIONS . 30 REFERENCES . 31 CHAPTER III . HYDROLOGY . - . 43 INTRODUCTION . 43 DRIVING FORCES AND THE HYDROLOGIC REGIME . 44 Ri veri ne Processes . 44 Atmospheric Processes . 47 Marine Processes . 48 Socioeconomic Processes . 49 Geologic Processes . 51 iv HYDROLOGIC ENVIRONMENTS AND INTERACTIONS . 51 Rivers . 51 Uplands . 53 Lower Basins . - . 54 Freshwater Flows and Dispersion . 54 Tidal Influences, Water Levels, and Circulation . 54 Water Quality Parameters . - . - . 56 Nearshore Waters . - . - . 57 INFORMATION DEFICIENCIES . RECOMMENDATIONS . - . 61 REFERENCES . 63 CHAPTER IV : METEOROLOGY AND AIR QUALITY INTRODUCTION . 71 METEOROLOGY AND AIR QUALITY . 72 Wind, Storms, and Barometric Pressure . 73 Data Collection, General Climatology . - . 74 Air Quality . 75 Precipitation . 76 Temperature . 77 Insolation and Evapotranspiration . 77 GAPS IN AVAILABLE KNOWLEDGE . Wind, Storms, and Barometric Pressure . 78 Data Collection, General Climatology . Air Quality . 78 Precipitation . 79 Temperature . 79 Insolation and Evapotranspiration . .. RECOMMENDATIONS . - . 80 REFERENCES . .. 82 CHAPTER V : BIOLOGY . - INTRODUCTION . BOTANY . 89 Introduction . Chronological History . v Information Review . 94 Terrestrial Vegetation . 94 Wetland Vegetation . 97 Swamps . 97 Marshes . 102 Aquatic-Marine Vegetation . 107 Information Deficiencies . , . 109 Recommendations . 110 FISHERIES . 111 Introduction . 111 Fresh Water Region . 113 Estuarine Region . 114 Marine Region . 114 Information Review . 114 Information Deficiencies . 115 Recommendations . 116 WILDLIFE . 117 Introduction . 117 Information Review . 118 Birds . 118 Mammals . 119 Amphibians and Reptiles . 120 Summary . 120 Information Deficiencies . 121 Recommendations . 121 REFERENCES . 123 CHAPTER VI : ECOLOGY . - . - . 142 INTRODUCTION . 142 ECOLOGY . 143 Primary Productivity . 143 Phytopl ankton . 143 Arboreal Swamp Vegetation . 147 Barrier Island Vegetation . 148 Terrestrial Vegetation . 148 Secondary Productivity . 148 vi Fisheries . 148 Wildlife . 151 Nutrient Cycling and Decomposition . 153 Interrelationships of Environmental Parameters and Management of Wetland Ecosystems . 155 INFORMATION DEFICIENCIES . 158 Primary Productivity . 15$ Secondary Productivity . 159 Nutrient Cycling and Decomposition . 159 Interrelationships of Environmental Parameters and Management of Wetland Resources . 160 RECOMMENDATIONS . ..