Mississippi Gulf Coast Research Articles

Development of a Community-Driven Waste Reduction Education and Action Program

Mismanaged and excessive waste has adverse effects on natural environments, economies, and human health. To address these waste issues, the Sustainability with Awareness and Prevention Solutions Program was developed and implemented in communities along the Mississippi Gulf Coast (USA) with the aim to provide the knowledge and actions needed to reduce or eliminate mismanaged and excessive waste. The program uses four educational modules focused on (1) microplastics in the watershed, (2) food waste, (3) single-use plastics, and (4) involvement in community prevention and removal programs. The program curriculum was written to meet education standards in Mississippi for 5th grade gifted, 6–8th grades, and 9–12th grades, and can be easily adapted to other states’ curriculums. The program provides material incentives to participants so knowledge learned can immediately be translated to behavior change. The program is continually being developed to find the best methods to implement behavior change at multiple scales.

Ink, Blood, Bones

Abstract Natasha Trethewey's poem “Native Guard” begins and ends with the phrase “Truth be told,” but the poem demonstrates just how difficult it can be to tell the truth — or even a truth — about history. “Native Guard” excavates historical events that many readers will find unfamiliar: the experience of Black Union troops guarding Confederate prisoners on Ship Island in the Mississippi Gulf Coast during the Civil War. This complex history is expressed in a crosshatched poetic form: contemporaneous journal entries arranged in a series of interlinked sonnets that juxtapose the history written in ink on paper with the pain written in blood on people's bodies and the bones buried beneath every historical account. While teaching the poem requires careful attention to historical context, poetic form, and repetition of words, the experience provides an answer to the question students keep asking: Why do we have to keep reading about slavery? This essay describes some pedagogical choices that may help students grasp their responsibility for seeking truths that can't easily be told because they lie buried beneath unexamined historical narratives.

Locally Acquired Melioidosis Linked to Environment — Mississippi, 2020–2023

SummaryMelioidosis, caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, is a rare but potentially fatal bacterial disease endemic to tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. It is typically acquired through contact with contaminated soil or fresh water. Before this investigation, B. pseudomallei was not known to have been isolated from the environment in the continental United States. Here, we report on three patients living in the same Mississippi Gulf Coast county who presented with melioidosis within a 3-year period. They were infected by the same Western Hemisphere B. pseudomallei strain that was discovered in three environmental samples collected from the property of one of the patients. These findings indicate local acquisition of melioidosis from the environment in the Mississippi Gulf Coast region.

Building responsible and sustainable tourism: The effects of community attitudes and place attachment on the Mississippi Gulf Coast

ABSTRACT Environmental sustainability in tourism management continues to be topic that needs investigation. This study advances the understanding of sustainable tourism by providing both new context through the study of a unique population of residents on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and applying a psychological theoretical lens. The argument is made that residents within a tourism area can utilize their sustainable tourism attitudes to facilitate action that is both environmentally responsible and supportive of a greater sustainable tourism development plan. Hypotheses are developed to suggest a mediated relationship between sustainable tourism attitude and these actions through a resident’s place attachment. Data from residents in a coastal tourism area were tested with a regression-based approach and indicate place attachment as a necessary linkage to environmentally responsible behavior and support of sustainable tourism development. These results suggest that it is not enough to have a sustainable attitude toward tourism. There also needs to be the development of identification with the place one lives. This research continues a conversation about attitudes in sustainable tourism by establishing that resident attitudes significantly affect the actions they take toward sustainable tourism. Further, this research expands into previously understudied geographies with complicated ecological, business, and residential dynamics.

The Future of Scuba Diving Tourism: Assessments of Perceived Value and Satisfaction on the Mississippi Gulf Coast

Across a range of diving locations, there is a need for greater understanding about what local divers value in their diving experiences and how this might lead to greater satisfaction with this activity in the future. In particular, the Mississippi Gulf Coast is known for its coastal beauty and the tourism that comes from the recreational activities associated with the water. However, scuba divers appear to be an underserved segment of the tourism industry. The coast provides opportunities for local scuba divers to take part in a range of diving activities, but there is minimal support for this tourism activity in Mississippi. To remedy this situation, this study argues that the functional, emotional, social, risk, and epistemic value local divers put on their diving experience leads to greater satisfaction in their diving experience. Accordingly, hypotheses are developed to directly link each dimension of perceived value to satisfaction with the diving experience. Results highlight a significant effect of overall perceived value on satisfaction with the diving experience. Further, the functional and social value factors were also found to have significant and positive relationships with diver satisfaction. Beyond providing greater understanding of what brings local divers greater fulfillment, a larger goal of this research is to discover future ways to better market scuba diving along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Revealing an Abundance of Microbial Fecal Contamination and Multidrug Resistant Bacteria in the Mississippi Gulf Coast

(1) Background: The Mississippi Gulf Coast (MGC) has been greatly affected by microbial contamination-related issues in the past several years. (2) Methods: We analyzed water samples collected from ten sites within the MGC across ten months for FIBs and the distribution of AMR/MDR bacteria. (3) Results: The Escherichia coli numbers within nine out the ten studied sites and Enterococcus values within seven out of the ten sites fell well past the water quality criteria established by EPA. Overall, we found very high AMR within both E. coli and Enterococcus isolates, many of which were also MDR. Within the E. coli, 94.6% were resistant to ≥2 antibiotics, 64.5% to ≥3, 41.8% to ≥4, 18.2% to ≥5, and 6.3% to ≥5 antibiotics. MDR patterns in Enterococcus were 87.3% belonging to the ≥2 category, 66.4% belonging to the ≥3, 37.9% falling into the ≥4, 17.9% were in the ≥5, 8.4% in the ≥6, and 3.6% in the ≥7 antibiotics. (4) Conclusions: Overall, data collected suggest the prevalence of concerning levels of FIBs along the Mississippi Gulf Coast revealing a remarkably high percentage of these FIBs being resistant to multiple antibiotics, a concerning number of which were also found to be MDR.

Prevalence and Distribution of Microplastics in Oysters from the Mississippi Sound

AbstractOysters are a foundational part of their ecosystem and research has shown they are negatively impacted by exposure to microplastics (MPs). High MP levels have been documented in waters surrounding oyster reefs, and as filter feeders, oysters can ingest MPs along with their food. Here, we determined MPs (>30 µm) in oysters (Crassostrea virginica) from ten sites across the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Further, a subset of these samples was dissected to quantify MPs within specific tissues. Average concentrations ranged from 30.7± 11.5 to 4.7 ± 0.25 putative MPs/g wet weight (ww) of whole tissue, with sites inside bays near population centers displaying higher levels of MPs than those exposed directly to the Gulf. Mantle, gill, and adductor muscle tissues had similar concentrations of putative MPs (15.9 ± 13.4, 11.5 ± 8.6 and 12.8 ± 6.7 MPs/g, respectively), whereas digestive system tissues had lower concentrations (6.8 ± 6.1 MPs/g of tissue). This suggests that most MPs in an oyster likely adhere to external tissues and are not actually ingested. Most of the MPs retained were in the smallest size fraction of 30‐90 µm (80%), followed by 125‐250 µm (9%), 90‐125 µm (8%), and >250 µm (3%). Analysis of samples from Biloxi Bay by µ‐FTIR to assess MP composition shows that polyurethane, polyethylene, and polyamide are common, but additional analyses are needed to fully characterize the MP profile across sites. Overall, this work provides much‐needed empirical data on the abundances and sizes of MPs in oysters from the Mississippi Sound, as well as the tissues where they reside.

Two new natural Sarracenia hybrids from the Gulf Coast

Sarracenia ×gordonii and Sarracenia ×mellichampii, two new natural Sarracenia hybrids from the Gulf Coast of Mississippi and Alabama are described.

Racial Differences in Breastfeeding on the Mississippi Gulf Coast: Making Sense of a Promotion-Prevalence Paradox with Cross-Sectional Data.

Breastfeeding is less prevalent among African American women than their white peers. Moreover, breastfeeding rates in the South lag behind those in other regions of the U.S. Consequently, various efforts have been undertaken to promote breastfeeding among groups for which this practice is less common. This study examines African American and white racial disparities concerning (1) exposure to breastfeeding promotional information and (2) reported prevalence of breastfeeding in primary social networks. The survey combines a randomly selected sample of adults representative of the population and a non-random oversample of African Americans in a predominantly rural tri-county area on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. An initial wave of 2019 Mississippi REACH Social Climate Survey data collected under the auspices of the CDC-funded REACH program (Mississippi's Healthy Families, Mothers, and Babies Initiative; 2018-2023) is used to examine racial disparities in these two key outcomes for Mississippians in Hancock, Harrison, and Jackson counties. The results show that African American respondents are more likely to be exposed to breastfeeding promotional messages than their white counterparts. However, the reported prevalence of breastfeeding in African American respondents' primary social networks is significantly lower than that indicated by their white peers. These paradoxical results underscore the limitations of promotional efforts alone to foster breastfeeding. While breastfeeding promotion is important, the reduction of racial disparities in this practice likely requires a multi-pronged effort that involves structural breastfeeding supports (e.g., lactation spaces, peer networking groups, and pro-breastfeeding employment policies and workplaces). This study provides a promising model of innovative methodological approaches to the study of breastfeeding while underscoring the complex nature of racial disparities in lactation prevalence.

The Mississippi Gulf Coast Seafood Industry: A People's History by Deanne Love Stephens

The Mississippi Gulf Coast Seafood Industry: A People's History by Deanne Love Stephens

Precise Elevation Thresholds Associated with Salt Marsh–Upland Ecotones along the Mississippi Gulf Coast

Coastal marshes provide essential ecosystem services related to biodiversity, water quality, and protection from erosion. As increasing rates of relative sea-level rise affect many coastal marsh systems, a thorough understanding of marsh responses to sea-level change, particularly the migration of marsh–upland boundaries, becomes essential. The goal of this study was to determine precise elevation thresholds associated with coastal marsh, the marsh–upland ecotone, and upland plant communities along Mississippi’s Gulf of Mexico coast (diurnal, microtidal). Elevations (NAVD88) were measured using survey-grade Global Navigation Satellite System solutions integrated with high-precision leveling. Plant species were sampled at approximately 1-m intervals along each of thirty-three transects extending from intermediate marsh through the marsh–upland ecotone. Elevation thresholds associated with plant community change were determined based on relevant quartiles of the data. Probabilities of occurrence of each plant community type were computed for elevations at the centimeter scale. Results indicated transitions from marsh to ecotone and ecotone to upland at elevations of approximately 0.40 m and 0.60 m, respectively. Understanding the precise nature of these centimeter-scale dependencies of marsh vegetation on coastal elevation will facilitate spatial modeling of marsh transgression in response to sea-level rise, subsidence, changes in sediment flux, and land use change.

Status, Distribution, and Habitat Use of Coastal Waterbirds along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, USA

The northern Gulf of Mexico is an important stopover and wintering area for many coastal waterbird species, but this region has been little-studied and a paucity of data has hampered efforts to quantify damage caused by disasters such as hurricanes and oil spills. In response, the Audubon Coastal Bird Survey (ACBS) was established to fill this data gap and provide long-term monitoring of coastal birds in this region. This study uses three years of data (2014-2017) from 22 1.6-km transects to identify areas in Mississippi, USA that are important to coastal waterbirds, to compare relative abundance of 14 focal species to abundances prior to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, estimated using eBird data, and to compare the information gained using ACBS to that of eBird. Shorebirds (Haematopodidae, Recurvirostridae, Charadriidae, and Scolopacidae) were most abundant at barrier island sites; larids (Laridae) were most abundant on man-made mainland beaches; and waders (Ardeidae) were most abundant at vegetated nearshore islands and natural mainland sites. Relative abundances of Least Tern (Sternula antillarum) and Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) increased post-spill, while Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) and Wilson's Plover (C. wilsonia) decreased. Relative abundances estimated using ACBS vs. eBird were greater for seven focal species, particularly for smaller shorebird species.

Availability and assessment of microplastic ingestion by marsh birds in Mississippi Gulf Coast tidal marshes

Millions of tons of plastic enter the environment every year, where much of it concentrates in environmental sinks such as tidal marshes. With prior studies documenting harm to marine fauna caused by this plastic pollution, the need to understand how this novel type of pollution affects estuarine fauna is great. Yet, research on the fate and uptake of plastic pollutants in estuarine ecosystems is sparse. Therefore, we quantified plastic prevalence and ingestion by two species of resident marsh bird, Clapper Rails (Rallus crepitans) and Seaside Sparrows (Ammospiza maritima), in coastal marsh ecosystems within Mississippi. We detected microplastics (plastics smaller than 5 mm) in 64% of marsh sediment samples, 83% of Clapper Rail and 69% of Seaside Sparrow proventriculus samples. Dominant types of microplastics detected in sediment and bird samples were fibers. This study provides the first evidence of microplastic ingestion by marsh birds and its distribution in coastal marshes within Mississippi.

Analysis of Free Browser-based Accessibility Tools: WCAG 2.1 Evaluation of Mississippi Gulf Coast Public Library Websites

This webometrics study compared free browser-based accessibility tools and determine the WCAG2.1 compliance levels of Mississippi Gulf Coast public library websites based on homepage analysis through free browser-based accessibility tools—ARC Toolkit, Lighthouse, Accessibility Insights for the Web, and Axe Accessibility.

Loneliness and depression among adults living on MS Gulf Coast: Individual, interpersonal and community predictors.

Loneliness and depression are mental health problems prevailing in United States as well as the world. The primary goal of this study was to identify risk and protective factors associated with loneliness and depression at the individual, interpersonal and community levels among adults living on Mississippi Gulf Coast. Survey data on 310 adults from three coastal counties was analysed. Bivariate analyses and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to determine correlates and predictors of loneliness and depression. Bivariate analyses showed that loneliness was correlated with marital status, insurance, income, perceived social support and community resilience. Depression was found to be correlated with marital status, insurance, education, income, perceived social support and community resilience. As expected, a significant correlation was found between loneliness and depression. Multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that race, marital status, income, perceived social support and community resilience predicted loneliness, while income and perceived social support served as predictors of depression. Results make it clear that in addition to addressing individual and interpersonal factors, community is important in reducing the incidence of loneliness.

Long Distance Implantation of Vernacular Architecture Traditions: The Canadians in Early Louisiana

This study explores the architectural contributions of Canadians to Louisiana in the 18th century. One of the most revealing arenas in American architectural history concerns the origins of new vernacular traditions in locations being settled for the first time by Europeans. Between the late 15th and 18th centuries, many settlement experiments occurred along the coastlines of the Atlantic. Yet the dearth of reliable documentation from the earliest years of colonial establishment renders elusive a sound understanding of the factors which shaped these foundational architectural transformations. The result: a loss of understanding of the very essence of our American vernacular traditions. This study examines one such case for which a relative abundance of documentation survives—the Canadians in Louisiana. It traces the architectural transformations that materialized when Canadians attempted to found a new colony on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and the lower Mississippi River Valley, beginning in 1699.

Disaster Vector Control in Mississippi After Hurricane Katrina: Lessons Learned

Hurricane Katrina devastated the Mississippi Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005, causing an ecological disaster. Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) entomologists established a vector control program in affected areas with the following objectives: 1) helping local vector control agencies reestablish services, 2) performing mosquito surveillance, and 3) establishing mosquito larviciding and adulticiding where necessary. The MSDH personnel also helped write Action Request Forms requesting assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for increased ground spraying in the 6 lower counties. Mosquito surveillance was conducted daily for 2 wk after the storm, then weekly for another month. Sanitation lagged, with people using makeshift latrines or simply piles of rubbish for bathrooms. Filth flies contaminated food and food surfaces. Responders lived in tent cities, many allowing filth fly access. Approximately 2 wk after hurricane landfall, due to increasing mosquito numbers, MSDH entomologists requested FEMA for an aerial spraying of insecticide to reduce nuisance mosquito biting in the area. A private vendor made 1 application of naled (Dibrom®) insecticide in the 3 coastal counties, yielding over 90% control in entire counties in 1 night. No complaints or medical or environmental problems from the increased ground spraying and aerial spraying were reported. Overall, important lessons in disaster vector control were learned, including how to work effectively with Centers for Disease Control, FEMA, and the US Public Health Service personnel, how to manage the public relations/educational aspects, and how to avoid or mitigate political interference in the disaster response.

Occurrence of Microplastic Pollution at Oyster Reefs and Other Coastal Sites in the Mississippi Sound, USA: Impacts of Freshwater Inflows from Flooding.

Much of the seafood that humans consume comes from estuaries and coastal areas where microplastics (MPs) accumulate, due in part to continual input and degradation of plastic litter from rivers and runoff. As filter feeders, oysters (Crassostrea virginica) are especially vulnerable to MP pollution. In this study, we assessed MP pollution in water at oyster reefs along the Mississippi Gulf Coast when: (1) historic flooding of the Mississippi River caused the Bonnet Carré Spillway to remain open for a record period of time causing major freshwater intrusion to the area and deleterious impacts on the species and (2) the spillway was closed, and normal salinity conditions resumed. Microplastics (~25 µm–5 mm) were isolated using a single-pot method, preparing samples in the same vessel (Mason jars) used for their collection right up until the MPs were transferred onto filters for analyses. The MPs were quantified using Nile Red fluorescence detection and identified using laser direct infrared (LDIR) analysis. Concentrations ranged from ~12 to 381 particles/L and tended to decrease at sites impacted by major freshwater intrusion. With the spillway open, average MP concentrations were positively correlated with salinity (r = 0.87, p = 0.05) for sites with three or more samples examined. However, the dilution effect on MP abundances was temporary, and oyster yields suffered from the extended periods of lower salinity. There were no significant changes in the relative distribution of MPs during freshwater intrusions; most of the MPs (>50%) were in the lower size fraction (~25–90 µm) and consisted mostly of fragments (~84%), followed by fibers (~11%) and beads (~5%). The most prevalent plastic was polyester, followed by acrylates/polyurethanes, polyamide, polypropylene, polyethylene, and polyacetal. Overall, this work provides much-needed empirical data on the abundances, morphologies, and types of MPs that oysters are exposed to in the Mississippi Sound, although how much of these MPs are ingested and their impacts on the organisms deserves further scrutiny. This paper is believed to be the first major application of LDIR to the analysis of MPs in natural waters.

Addressing the Social Vulnerability of Mississippi Gulf Coast Vietnamese Community through the Development of Community Health Advisors.

Resiliency is the ability to prepare for, recover from, and adapt to stressors from adverse events. Social vulnerabilities (limited access to resources, political power, and representation; lack of social capital; aspects of the built environment; health inequities; and being in certain demographic categories) can impact resiliency. The Vietnamese population living along the Mississippi Gulf Coast is a community that has unique social vulnerabilities that impact their ability to be resilient to adverse events. The purpose of this project was to address social vulnerability by implementing and evaluating a volunteer Community Health Advisor (CHA) project to enhance community resiliency in this community. A program implemented over 8 three-hour sessions was adapted from the Community Health Advisor Network curriculum that focused on healthy eating, preventing chronic conditions (hyperlipidemia, Diabetes, hypertension, cancer, poor mental health). Topics also included leadership and capacity development skills. Participants (n=22) ranged from 35-84 years of age. Most were female (63.6%), married (45.5%), unemployed (63.6%), had annual incomes of <$10,000, and had high school diplomas (68.2%). Community concerns were crime (50.0%), volunteerism (40.0%), language barriers (35.0%), and food insecurity (30.0%). Approximately 75% had experienced war trauma and/or refugee camps, and 10% had experienced domestic violence. Scores on the Community Health Advisor Core Competency Assessment increased from pre-test to post-test (t=-5.962, df=11, p<0.0001), as did SF-8 scores (t=5.759, df=17, p<0.0001). Strategies to reduce vulnerabilities in the Vietnamese community should include developing interventions that address health risks and strengths and focus on root causes of vulnerability.

The Saltpan Microbiome is Structured by Sediment Depth and Minimally Influenced by Variable Hydration.

Saltpans are a class of ephemeral wetland characterized by alternating periods of inundation, rising salinity, and desiccation. We obtained soil cores from a saltpan on the Mississippi Gulf coast in both the inundated and desiccated state. The microbiomes of surface and 30 cm deep sediment were determined using Illumina sequencing of the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Bacterial and archaeal community composition differed significantly between sediment depths but did not differ between inundated and desiccated states. Well-represented taxa included marine microorganisms as well as multiple halophiles, both observed in greater proportions in surface sediment. Functional inference of metagenomic data showed that saltpan sediments in the inundated state had greater potential for microbial activity and that several energetic and degradation pathways were more prevalent in saltpan sediment than in nearby tidal marsh sediment. Microbial communities within saltpan sediments differed in composition from those in adjacent freshwater and brackish marshes. These findings indicate that the bacterial and archaeal microbiomes of saltpans are highly stratified by sediment depth and are only minimally influenced by changes in hydration. The surface sediment community is likely isolated from the shallow subsurface community by compaction, with the microbial community dominated by marine and terrestrial halophiles.