BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — As the Mississippi Delta erodes, a partnership between LSU and Tulane is researching how much these disappearing communities will change if nothing is done. It's not just a Louisiana issue. About 1 in 14 people worldwide live on threatened river deltas. “The future for south Louisiana is pretty challenging in terms of global sea level rise, as well as natural coastal dynamics that are occurring,” said LSU Professor of Geology and Geophysics Samuel Bentley. The Mississippi River Delta Transition Initiative, or MissDelta, received $22 million from the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine to examine how these critical areas of commerce, industry, and culture will be impacted by the erosion of the coast both above and below water. “Sort of making sure that we're untangling all the various threads of cause for the problems that people are facing,” Bentley said. Their area of focus is known as the “bird foot” part of Plaquemines Parish. In 2023, it faced a saltwater intrusion due to drought up and down the Mississippi River. The river is also redirecting its flows, making it a challenge to manage the water. On top of the generations of people who live there, the area is a critical part of worldwide commerce. Some water facilities still battling saltwater intrusion in Southeast Louisiana “We have this iconic landmass that's disappearing and the disappearance of it will place communities at risk in fishing, natural resource and other industries at risk, as well as the stability of our navigation network,” Bentley said. “The value of shipping in and out of Southwest Pass is on the order of $450 million a day.” With significant impacts of climate change leading to more droughts and severe storms battering the delta and coasts, Bentley said his team with both universities is meant to ask “What if” questions around the impact of the Mississippi delta disappearing on communities and businesses. What they find over the five-year process is aimed at helping not only state and federal leaders make decisions around protecting the coast, but also those around the world in similar situations. “Our goal is to help people be able to look at problems associated with the Delta, with the best available science, both physical and natural science, as well as socioeconomic science, and make informed decisions,” Bentley said. It is not only climate impacts that cause the delta to erode. Humans have leveed the river to prevent floods and stop new wetland growth. This is on top of shipping channels, oil and gas infrastructure, and dams upriver. The MissDelta team recognizes the little bit of sediment that makes its way down the river is precious, and they are looking at how it could best be utilized. Part of the process is explaining the science of the coast to community stakeholders. “That is what is going to allow the communities in the workforce to either stay or force them to leave,” Bentley said. In other places around the world, they have been looking into solutions that Louisiana could draw from. But the state is looking to be a leader in the shift to protecting the coast as time is not in its favor. The research team has four more years of funding to create an overall report of what they find. Latest News LSU, Tulane partner up to research impacts of Mississippi River Delta erosion on communities Kansas restaurant worker caught chopping meat on ground, owner explains why Six suspects from Baton Rouge wanted in French Quarter shooting that left teen injured Big Game Bound: Can the Steelers clinch the AFC North? Top GOP appropriator 'surprised' by Trump debt ceiling demand: 'Don't know his rationale'