Using GIS and Remote Sensing Applications to Determine Recovery from Disaster: Seven Years Post-Katrina in Residential Communities of Hancock County

Hurricane Katrina devastated the gulf coast states of Louisiana and Mississippi on August 29th, 2005. The communities of Shoreline Park and Waveland in Hancock County, Mississippi were used in this study to analyze land use change post-Hurricane Katrina using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing. These two communities are experiencing slower recovery than their counterparts along the coast. By examining high-resolution aerial imagery from 2007 and 2012, there can be comparisons that show the timeline of recovery for these two communities post-Katrina. Shoreline Park has seen 30% of its total parcels change their structural footprints from 2007 – 2012 with an increase to its residential land use of 14.4%. Empty parcels still make up the bulk of Shoreline Park with 76.89% of the total land use. Waveland experienced a 7.74% change to its residential land use, while 30% of its total parcels changed their structural footprints post-Katrina. Both Shoreline Park and Waveland are currently dominated by empty parcels. While these numbers may seem high concerning residential land use, 70 % of structures in Shoreline Park and 90 % of structures in Waveland were damaged or destroyed. The data indicate rebuilding is slower than expected seven years post event. This study shows how insurance costs, elevation, and flood zoning are directly contributed to slower rebuilding efforts. Evidence suggests that residents are migrating from their coastal locations to areas further inland

A Comparison of Habitat and Geomorphic Changes on East Ship Versus Sand Islands Mississippi, 2007-2014

ABSTRACT A COMPARISON OF HABITAT AND GEOMORPHIC CHANGES ON EAST SHIP VERSUS SAND ISLANDS MISSISSIPPI, 2007-2014 by Carlton Peter Anderson May 2015 The islands of the Mississippi-Alabama (MS-AL) barrier island chain along the micro-tidal northern Gulf of Mexico are highly dynamic coastal features subject to rapid changes in habitat, geomorphology, and elevation by natural and anthropogenic disturbances, such as hurricanes, subsidence, sea-level rise, and dredging activities. The purpose of this study was to compare elevation, total volume, habitat-type coverage, and short-term change between “naturally” formed East Ship Island and “man-made” Sand Island (Disposal-Area 10). This study used a combination of repeat photography, ground elevation measurements, and multi-year remotely sensed data to produce photographic pairs, habitat classifications, and digital elevation maps to quantify short-term change. Changes to both islands followed two moderately-sized hurricanes in 2008 and 2012. Sand Island experienced land loss, and East Ship Island had land area gain following the 2012 hurricane. Reductions to the beach dune herbland habitat coverage on both islands were a direct result of these events. However, rapid recovery (~1.5 to 2 yr) of the habitat was observed in 2010 and again in 2014, suggesting these storms were actually beneficial to the islands. Fluctuations in coverage for all common habitats were similar on both islands, with the exception of marsh shrubland. Similar ranges of elevations (MSL) were found for habitats on both islands, with transitions of habitats occurring approximately every 0.3 m of increase or decrease. Although different in age, these two islands show remarkable similarities in habitat make-up and geomorphic features

Oral History Transcription with Carlton Anderson & Christina Anderson

A transcription of an oral history compiled in 1967https://digitalmaine.com/stockholm_docs/1008/thumbnail.jp

Precise Elevation Thresholds Associated with Salt Marsh–Upland Ecotones along the Mississippi Gulf Coast

Coastal marshes provide essential ecosystem services related to biodiversity, water quality, and protection from erosion. As increasing rates of relative sea-level rise affect many coastal marsh systems, a thorough understanding of marsh responses to sea-level change, particularly the migration of marsh–upland boundaries, becomes essential. The goal of this study was to determine precise elevation thresholds associated with coastal marsh, the marsh–upland ecotone, and upland plant communities along Mississippi’s Gulf of Mexico coast (diurnal, microtidal). Elevations (NAVD88) were measured using survey-grade Global Navigation Satellite System solutions integrated with high-precision leveling. Plant species were sampled at approximately 1-m intervals along each of thirty-three transects extending from intermediate marsh through the marsh–upland ecotone. Elevation thresholds associated with plant community change were determined based on relevant quartiles of the data. Probabilities of occurrence of each plant community type were computed for elevations at the centimeter scale. Results indicated transitions from marsh to ecotone and ecotone to upland at elevations of approximately 0.40 m and 0.60 m, respectively. Understanding the precise nature of these centimeter-scale dependencies of marsh vegetation on coastal elevation will facilitate spatial modeling of marsh transgression in response to sea-level rise, subsidence, changes in sediment flux, and land use change

The Use of Aerial RGB Imagery and LIDAR in Comparing Ecological Habitats and Geomorphic Features on a Natural Versus Man-Made Barrier Island

The Mississippi (MS) barrier island chain along the northern Gulf of Mexico coastline is subject to rapid changes in habitat, geomorphology and elevation by natural and anthropogenic disturbances. The purpose of this study was to compare habitat type coverage with respective elevation, geomorphic features and short-term change between the naturally-formed East Ship Island and the man-made Sand Island. Ground surveys, multi-year remotely-sensed data, habitat classifications and digital elevation models were used to quantify short-term habitat and geomorphic change, as well as to examine the relationships between habitat types and micro-elevation. Habitat types and species composition were the same on both islands with the exception of the algal flat existing on the lower elevated spits of East Ship. Both islands displayed common patterns of vegetation succession and ranges of existence in elevation. Additionally, both islands showed similar geomorphic features, such as fore and back dunes and ponds. Storm impacts had the most profound effects on vegetation and geomorphic features throughout the study period. Although vastly different in age, these two islands show remarkable commonalities among the traits investigated. In comparison to East Ship, Sand Island exhibits key characteristics of a natural barrier island in terms of its vegetated habitats, geomorphic features and response to storm impacts, although it was established anthropogenically only decades ago

Land Cover Data for the Mississippi-Alabama Barrier Islands, 2010-2011

Land cover on the Mississippi–Alabama barrier islands was surveyed in 2010–2011 as part of continuing research on island geomorphic and vegetation dynamics following the 2005 impact of Hurricane Katrina. Results of the survey include sub-meter GPS location, a listing of dominant vegetation species and field photographs recorded at 375 sampling locations distributed among Cat, West Ship, East Ship, Horn, Sand, Petit Bois and Dauphin Islands. The survey was conducted in a period of intensive remote sensing data acquisition over the northern Gulf of Mexico by federal, state and commercial organizations in response to the 2010 Macondo Well (Deepwater Horizon) oil spill. The data are useful in providing ground reference information for thematic classification of remotely-sensed imagery, and a record of land cover which may be used in future research

Relapses of Plasmodium vivax infection usually result from activation of heterologous hypnozoites.

BACKGROUND: Relapses originating from hypnozoites are characteristic of Plasmodium vivax infections. Thus, reappearance of parasitemia after treatment can result from relapse, recrudescence, or reinfection. It has been assumed that parasites causing relapse would be a subset of the parasites that caused the primary infection. METHODS: Paired samples were collected before initiation of antimalarial treatment and at recurrence of parasitemia from 149 patients with vivax malaria in Thailand (n=36), where reinfection could be excluded, and during field studies in Myanmar (n=75) and India (n=38). RESULTS: Combined genetic data from 2 genotyping approaches showed that novel P. vivax populations were present in the majority of patients with recurrent infection (107 [72%] of 149 patients overall [78% of patients in Thailand, 75% of patients in Myanmar {Burma}, and 63% of patients in India]). In 61% of the Thai and Burmese patients and in 55% of the Indian patients, the recurrent infections contained none of the parasite genotypes that caused the acute infection. CONCLUSIONS: The P. vivax populations emerging from hypnozoites commonly differ from the populations that caused the acute episode. Activation of heterologous hypnozoite populations is the most common cause of first relapse in patients with vivax malaria

Impact of short-chain galactooligosaccharides on the gut microbiome of lactose-intolerant individuals

Approximately 75% of the global human population are lactose malabsorbers. In a previous clinical trial, it was shown that feeding a high-purity galactooligosaccharide (>95% GOS) could improve symptoms of lactose-intolerant subjects, attaining lactose tolerance in a majority of subjects. To investigate the mechanism, we examined the microbiome of human subjects before and after GOS feeding. The results show a significant shift in the microbiome of responsive individuals, including lactose-fermenting microbes in their stools. The high-purity prebiotic GOS resulted in adaptive shifts in the microbiome and correlated with improvement in clinical symptoms

Dizygotic twins concordant for truncus arteriosus

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66437/1/j.1399-0004.1991.tb02989.x.pd