Delta-X delivered its first Level 4 product, Map of bathymetry/elevation data, on Feb 27, 2023. Figure 1 shows the merged elevation map while figure 2 shows the primary data source for each pixel. The elevation data was merged from 8 sources listed below.

Figure 1. Delta-X merged elevation map

Delta-X officially concluded its fall campaign on Saturday, 25 September! Boston University’s Water Quality team took their last water sample on 24 September while AVIRIS-NG imaged the area for post Hurricane Ida assessment (as part of an R&D task). The JPL and UNC teams retrieved most of the water level gauges within the channels and a few located in the wetlands of the Atchafalaya river. The LSU team will retrieve a few more gauges located at the intensive sites during its regular (every ~6 months) soil accretion surveys that will continue over the next 2 years.

The Delta-X JPL and UNC ADCP teams returned to the Mississippi Delta on Monday, 20 September to retrieve water level gauges. They plan to stay until Sunday, 26 September. The Boston University Water Quality team has been collecting data over the past week and plans to return on Friday, 24 September. Water Quality team members on an airboat operating a Portable SpectroRadiometer (PSR) that measures above-water surface reflectance, an in-situ field measurement analogous to the imagery that AVIRIS-NG produces.

Delta-X had 2 AirSWOT and UAVSAR co-flights during the last week over Terrebonne West and Atchafalaya high tides. The fall campaign radar science flights are considered complete as of Monday morning at 12:21 AM CDT, just as tropical storm (may become H-1) Nicholas approaches the coast of Southeast Texas. Ida, and now Nicholas, remind us of the importance of Delta-X science and what can be achieved with the new data. In all, AirSWOT flew 11 science flights (203 science lines) and UAVSAR flew 7 science flights (95 Delta-X lines) during the fall campaign.

For the Delta-X campaign, AVIRIS-NG flew on 24 and 25 August over Terrebonne basin and completed all required flight lines. The ground teams also took as much measurements as possible before hurricane Ida made landfall on 29 August. UAVSAR and AirSWOT resumed flights on Wednesday, 1 September over Terrebonne East. AVIRIS-NG will resume flights on  14 September for approximately 10 days in order to provide before and after images from the hurricane damage.

The Delta-X fall campaign is well underway. The fall campaign is meant to capture the hydrodynamics and vegetation patterns of the region while the Mississippi River discharge is near its lowest point and when vegetation has reached its peak biomass. Delta-X already captured the highest annual river discharge when herbaceous vegetation is just starting to grow in the Spring. 

Delta-X wrapped up a successful Spring 2021 high flow campaign in the Mississippi River Delta last week.  AirSWOT and UAVSAR were able to survey three different tidal conditions in the eastern part of the Terrebone basin (receding tide on 12 April, low tide on 15 April, and high tide on 18 April.)  Over the entire Delta-X Spring 2021 campaign, AirSWOT collected a total of 226 Delta-X flight lines and UAVSAR collected ~138 flight lines in the Atchafalaya and Terrebonne basins.

On 7 April, UAVSAR and AirSWOT imaged Terrebonne West with the Louisiana State University (LSU) field teams in the Fourleague Bay area at intensive study sites 322 and 399.  UAVSAR collected 16 lines (8 times the same 2 flight lines).  AirSWOT collected 22 lines.  Conditions were too cloudy for AVIRIS-NG to collect data.  The LSU Island team measured flow velocity at site 399 at 10:00 AM and 3:30 PM. The LSU ADCP team took the 10 planned ADCP transects around site 322 then sites 399.

Delta-X has successfully been running as planned with it first set of flights over the Mississippi River Delta floodplain by Delta-X triplets: UAVSAR, AirSWOT and AVIRIS-NG on Saturday, 27 March (See quick-look images from UAVSAR and AVIRIS-NG).

Delta-X has started the Spring 2021 high discharge campaign in the Mississippi River Delta.  The campaign comprises 3 airborne instruments (AVIRIS-NG, AirSWOT, UAVSAR) and multiple in situ ground teams.   The campaign began on March 21, 2021 with the Delta-X Vegetation Team made up of team members from Louisiana State University and Florida International University.  AVIRIS-NG, AirSWOT, and UAVSAR will begin Delta-X science flights around March 27, pending favorable weather conditions.  The Delta-X Spring campaign will continue through mid-April 2021.