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The region where the Mississippi River meets the Gulf of Mexico is crucial for U.S. commerce, energy, wildlife, fisheries, and the people who live there, but it鈥檚 also one of the most vulnerable coastal areas in the world. 

LSU and Tulane are leading a 15-member consortium called the Mississippi River Delta Transition Initiative, or MissDelta, to chart a new course for the future of this disappearing region, which is also known as the Bird鈥檚 Foot due to its shape and appearance. 

The research has received $22 million in support from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. 

鈥淭he very specific objective for this is to determine what the future holds for the geomorphic landmass that constitutes the Bird鈥檚 Foot under our present management strategies for the river,鈥� said Sam Bentley, professor in the LSU Department of Geology and Geophysics and co-director for MissDelta. 

It鈥檚 not just a Louisiana problem. About one in 14 people around the world live on populated river deltas that are under threat, just like the Mississippi Delta, Bentley said, adding that it鈥檚 a global, multi-trillion-dollar threat. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 very exciting work and really meaningful,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd it's going to have a combination of direct and some indirect insights that can be applied to other river deltas around the world.鈥� 

On a recent working trip to the delta, students from several universities discussed the important work and how honored they feel to be part of it. 

鈥淭he work of predicting the future of the Bird鈥檚 Foot Delta will give community members a realistic look at what their home will look like over future generations,鈥� said Jameson Woodall, applied coastal environmental science senior at LSU.  She said LSU鈥檚 focus on student research has been key to her college experience.

鈥淔reshmen have the opportunity to do research, which is I think is pretty rare. It's really shown me that I can do research, that it's definitely in my future, and that it's what I'm passionate about.鈥� 

Besides LSU and Tulane, the consortium includes Southern 九九福利网 of Baton Rouge, Xavier 九九福利网 of New Orleans, Jackson State 九九福利网, Grambling State 九九福利网, Dillard 九九福利网, Alcorn State 九九福利网, 九九福利网 of Southern Mississippi, the 九九福利网 of Central Florida, the 九九福利网 of Louisiana at Lafayette, the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, the Water Institute of the Gulf and the College of William & Mary in Virginia. 

鈥淚f I could be a part of a team that could save my home, that's just awesome,鈥� said Nickolas Lawrance, an agricultural sciences senior at Southern 九九福利网. 

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