T. Baker Smith, LSU team up to measure storms

Louisiana State University and local engineering firm T. Baker Smith (TBS) are about to dive head first into a new project that could help save area coastlines. Officials hope storm surge models of the past will take a backseat to a new mobile storm surge and wave-monitoring network, which will improve the prediction of hurricanes and the impact they have on coastal Louisiana.

But in order to move forward, the project must first pass through the Board of Regents.

If approved, the program would charge personnel from LSU and TBS with deploying a series of storm gages 36 to 48 hours before a storm makes landfall. Gauges would be recovered after the storm subsides. “It is important to deploy and retrieve these gages in a short time period because of the high frequency and sensitivity of the measurements being made,” said Barry Kennedy, a civil engineer and project manager for TBS.

During the storm, gages will measure wave heights and storm surge 10 times per second, which “…will allow modelers from LSU to perform important statistical analysis,” explained the engineer.

Experts at the University of Notre Dame (UND) successfully developed and deployed similar gages in 2008. The proposal up for consideration will build on knowledge harnessed at UND as well as “…extensive coastal modeling and monitoring capabilities at LSU [and] the experienced professional services offered by TBS,” according to a news release issued by TBS.

“Basically when everyone else is evacuating for a storm, we will be the only vehicles traveling towards the coastlines,” said TBS president Kenny Smith in the release.

Until recently, storm surge models have been developed using a limited number of gages located near shorelines or offshore, which are prone to damage and are sometimes even destroyed. “This left modelers with limited sets of ‘real data’ to verify and refine storm surge models,” said Kennedy. The new program will blanket coastal areas with a dense set of highly accurate gauges that will rest on the ocean’s floor, ensuring they are stable and preventing them from being damaged. “As many as 30 to 50 gauges will be deployed along 100 to 150 miles of coastline,” he added.

“This will help parish officials develop the most appropriate plan of action when an actual storm moves into the Gulf of Mexico,” said Kennedy. “The data collected from this program will also help researchers study how waves and storm surge affect our coastal areas. This will ultimately help engineers and scientists plan and design more sustainable coastal restoration projects and structures.”

Paula Schouest, corporate marketing director for TBS, said the firm plans to invest $50,000 in the project and another $50,000 in human resources once the project takes off.