What do you do when the object of your study becomes a threat to the study itself?
LUMCON can’t uproot itself entirely, given its mission, and has no intention to abandon the DeFelice Marine Center in Cocodrie. In 2017, the consortium convened a panel of staff members and outside experts to consider how to adapt. Most utility lines at the marine center are already underground to protect against wind damage, but the panel thought they could be wrapped in piping resistant to salt water, too.
Roberts admits that climate-induced hassles have become business as usual: “I hate to say that you grow somewhat accustomed to losing periods of time.” Even if a storm does not arrive in Cocodrie, its presence in the Gulf of Mexico can briefly derail a research project. Storms intensify so quickly now—with wind speed dramatically increasing in a matter of hours—that sometimes LUMCON must initiate its evacuation procedure before the storm tracks become clear.
Sometimes candidates are surprised to see the wide-ranging skills Roberts requires of his lab assistants, such as plumbing and wiring. But you have to be handy to work here. One of Roberts’s main research projects is an investigation into the effects of spilled oil on marsh ecosystems. He’s built a set of “mesocosms,” outdoor plots of marsh grass, where he can compare growth under various conditions.
Roberts tells me that two weeks before my visit, on the first day of hurricane season, he had sent an email to LUMCON staff. He reminded everyone that after months in recovery mode, it was time to get prepared again: Already a storm system was forming in the Gulf. That meant that probes, nets, and other equipment that had been left outside for easy access needed to be organized—so that, if it became necessary, evacuation would be quick.
The system out in the Gulf, as it turned out, dissipated. Nonetheless, the tide was high that day. Several centimeters of water pooled across the lot. One way or another, change is coming for LUMCON, and for this entire coastline. The rising water was at once a hassle and a reminder of why the work being done here is so vital.
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