University of New Orleans graduate student Lydia DiPaola is the recipient of a one-year $10,000 fellowship, which will fund her research to address high priority needs within Louisiana’s coastal environment. She is the first to earn a Graduate Interjurisdictional Research Fellowship, a joint effort of Louisiana Sea Grant and Louisiana Space Grant, along with the North Carolina Sea and Space Grant Programs.

DiPaola is a master’s degree student in biological sciences at UNO. The Tucson, Arizona native earned a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Arizona State University. Her project is titled “Monitoring Biotic and Abiotic Responses to a Shoreline Protection Barrier Project in Jean Lafitte National Park.” Nicola Anthony, professor of biological sciences, is DiPaola’s faculty adviser.

To restore 50 acres of submerged aquatic vegetation lost since the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in 2010, the Jean Lafitte National Park and Historic Preserve is building a 2.2-mile-long shoreline protection barrier along Lake Salvador. Completion is expected this summer. Submerged aquatic vegetation beds are important wetland features that provide food and shelter for local aquatic species, stabilize sediments, filter water of contaminants and directly reduce erosion and wave action.

The barrier’s construction is expected to have short-term adverse impacts on water quality and submerged aquatic vegetation in the area, but benefit wetland communities in the long-term. DiPaola will monitor vegetation diversity and coverage, fish community assemblages, water quality and shoreline erosion and/or accretion for one year following the barrier’s construction. Her immediate post-construction monitoring will help managers respond effectively to interim environmental impacts in order to address longer-term environmental injuries caused by the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

The work is being carried out in collaboration with Erin Cox, assistant professor of biological sciences; Martin O’Connell, professor of earth and environmental sciences; and Julie Whitbeck with the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve.

The transregional aspect of the program is to promote a greater understanding of the issues researched and create professional development opportunities for the funded graduate students. Fellowship recipients use data from a variety of archives and the remote sensing capabilities available through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to address high priority needs within Louisiana’s nearshore environment.