Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID LA_2024_Xu

Carbon transport and transformation in the Amite River – Maurepas estuarine complex

Institute: Louisiana
Year Established: 2024 Start Date: 2024-09-01 End Date: 2025-08-31
Total Federal Funds: $19,745 Total Non-Federal Funds: $19,747

Principal Investigators: Yi-Jun Xu

Project Summary: A large industrial company plans to inject carbon dioxide into the geologic layers of Lake Maurepas, raising concerns over the possibility of gas leaking into surface water. This project will carry out monthly field measurements and water sample collections at Amite River, Lake Maurepas, and a nearby groundwater well from September 2024 through August 2025. Field measurements will include monitoring of dissolved carbon dioxide and water quality parameters; Laboratory work will include chemical analysis of dissolved organic carbon and dissolved inorganic carbon. The data collected will utilized to investigate the current level and fluctuation of dissolved carbon across the Amite River – Lake Maurepas continuum. Findings from this project will establish a baseline of dissolved carbon in this complex system before the planned injection of carbon dioxide is implemented, as well as provide crucial information on carbon dynamics in the freshwater – saltwater mixing zone of the largest coastal river in Louisiana.