Deltas

Restoring Coastal Resilience

The NCED Subsurface Architecture Program - The Deltas research program, also referred to as the Subsurface Architecture Integrated Program, uses information from modern systems, experiments, and stratigraphic records to develop a predictive understanding of delta evolution in support of sustainable restoration of the Mississippi River Delta (MRD).

Researchers use the subsurface stratigraphy of modern deltas to infer rates, spatial patterns, and mechanisms of natural (pre-human) delta building processes. Simultaneously, experiments and field studies inform predictive models of the processes by which deltas build land and maintain themselves and their associated ecosystems against subsidence and sea-level rise.  Connections are built between often disparate models and research efforts aimed at describing the geomorphic, ecologic, and social tradeoffs of delta evolution and maintenance guide the design of a sustainable delta-restoration program.

We view deltaic land-building as a biophysical process, and the program research involves collaboration among ecologists, geologists, sedimentologists, and engineers.  For a current list and summary of projects, download NCED's 2011 Deltas Project Report [PDF]

For more information on NCED Deltas research, please contact:
James Buttles
Subsurface Architecture Program Manager
Bureau of Economic Geology
The University of Texas at Austin
University Station, Box X
Austin, TX 78713-8924