Resume of: G. PAUL KEMP
[504] 769 - 5943
ockemp@unix1.sncc.lsu.edu
EDUCATION
Ph.D. Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, 1986.
Marine Sciences; minor in Geology.
M.S. Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, 1978.
Marine Sciences.
B.S. Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., 1975.
Natural Resources.
DISSERTATION
Mud Deposition at the Shoreface: wave and sediment dynamics on the Chenier Plain of Louisiana.
under John T. Wells, Jr., Coastal Studies Institute, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge.
INTERESTS
Wave/sediment interactions, coastal wetlands, coastal erosion processes, ecosystem modeling, estuarine
geochemistry, natural resources/science policy.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
1994 - Present Associate Research Professor, Center for Coastal, Energy and Environmental
Resources, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA
1991 - 1994 Science and Technology Director, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, and
Assistant Research Professor, Louisiana State University.
1987 - 1991 Project Scientist, Director, Coastal Sciences Unit
Woodward-Clyde Consultants, Baton Rouge, LA.
One Year Sabbatical 1989-1990, Executive Director, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana
1987 Post-Doctoral Research Associate, Coastal Ecology Institute, Center for Wetland
Resources,
Louisiana State University
1985 - 1987 Hydrogeologist / Project Manager, Groundwater Technology, Inc., South-Central
Office, Mandeville, LA.
1984 NOAA/Knauss Congressional Fellow, Office of Senator Edward M. Kennedy,
Washington, D.C.
1983 Geologist, Navarin Basin Project, Woodward-Clyde Oceaneering, Inc., Dutch
Harbor, AK and Houston, TX
1980 - 1983 Consulting geologist / Graduate Research Assistant
PERSONAL
Born May 2, 1954, in Port Jefferson, N.Y.; Married to Linda C. Fowler; Two sons, Andrew P.
(12/17/88) and Nathan M. (8/21/92)
PUBLICATIONS AND REFERENCES (On request.)
EMPLOYMENT HIGHLIGHTS
Associate Professor, Research (30% June 1992-January 1994, 80% February - September 1994, 100%
since), Natural Systems Modeling Group, Center for Coastal, Energy, and Environmental Resources
(CCEER), Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Dr. Kemp became a member of the research faculty in the beginning of 1994 with the formation of the
Natural Systems Program. As part of planning initiatives primarily funded by the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, he has applied various hydrodynamic, sediment transport and ecosystem models to reduce
the cost and increase the effectiveness of river management and coastal wetlands restoration projects.
He has directed efforts to mate hydrodynamic computer models with ecological algorithms that simulate
various aspects of ecosystem response, and advocated the use of such technology in natural resource
policy decision-making. He has also worked closely with researchers in the Coastal Ecology Institute
(CEI) and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering to provide communities with low-
cost, high-quality tertiary treatment of sewer effluents using isolated, nutrient starved natural wetland
systems to sequester nutrients and carbon. Dr. Kemp directs a research team including post-doctoral
researchers, research associates, graduate research assistants and undergraduate students, that catalyzes
creative solutions to environmental resource problems with the support of federal and state
governmental agencies, municipalities, private foundations, and various sectors of industry. He led a
multi-disciplinary effort to characterize conditions in the Barataria and Terrebonne estuaries for the EPA
National Estuary Program. Dr. Kemp has also served as a member of the National Research Council
Marine Board Committee on Marine Pipeline Safety. The National Research Council is the research
arm of the National Academy of Sciences and the Committee issued its findings in early 1994. He has
been appointed by various Governors to serve on three advisory task forces charged with developing
environmental and wetlands policy, and now serves as technical advisor with the GovernorÑs Office of
Coastal Activities..
PROJECTS: EPA/NSF Watershed Program, - Importance of pulsed physical events for watershed
sustainability, USACOE - Atchafalaya River Reevaluation, Office of the Governor - Scientific Advice
to the Office of Coastal Activities, EPA/ La. DEQ- PI, Characterization Report, Barataria-Terrebonne
National Estuary Program; USGS - Critical physical processes of wetland loss; NOAA (Estuarine
Habitat Research Program) - Use of sediment fences for marsh restoration and creation; USFWS - An
evaluation of the impact of hydroperiod on marsh surface elevation change in marshes subjected to
varying rates of relative sea-level rise; USACOE (Waterways Experiment Station) - Wave action and
erodibility of cohesive sediments in wetlands; USACOE (Waterways Experiment Station) - The Fina-
Laterre mitigation bank: monitoring designed to evaluate the effects of management decision making;
City of Breaux Bridge - Use attainability analysis of municipal wastewater discharge to forested
wetlands at Breaux Bridge, La.; Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation - Re-analysis of the Bonnet Carre
spillway project; City of Morgan City - Flood damage reduction analysis and planning; USGS Ú
Subsidence of wetlands associated with forced drainage.
Science Director (Sept. 1991 - Jan. 1994), Executive Director (June 1989 - June 1990), Coalition to
Restore Coastal Louisiana, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Beginning during a one year sabbatical from Woodward-Clyde, Dr. Kemp became the first Executive
Director of the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (Coalition) and assisted in the framing of needed
legislation at the state and federal levels. The Coalition is a broad-based non-profit organization
dedicated to returning Louisiana's Mississippi River delta area to environmental (and economic)
sustainability. Later, he returned to work full-time as Science Director and was responsible for daily
operations and, with others, for the growth of this organization to an annual budget of nearly $300,000,
solicited primarily from private charitable foundations. The Coalition has emerged as a responsible,
scientifically credible source of information about the nature of wetland loss in Louisiana and the full
range of solutions available. Coalition advice and testimony have been solicited in both technical and
civic forums, including the U.S. Congress and Senate. These efforts have contributed to passage of
legislation at the state and federal level and in approval of a state constitutional amendment, really the
first statewide environmental referendum. The Coalition currently heads up citizen involvement with
the multi-agency Task Force that has controlled coastal restoration planning and the expenditure of
approximately $60 million annually since 1991 in one of the most ambitious habitat restoration efforts
in progress anywhere. More recently, the Coalition has been effective in bringing more of the nation's
leading wetland scientists into the agency planning effort to increase scientific credibility. The
Coalition sponsors educational field trips to coastal research facilities for primary and secondary school
children and has coordinated statewide planning for recycling Christmas trees into marsh building
sedimentation fences.
Project Scientist (Nov., 1987 - Aug., 1991) Woodward-Clyde Consultants, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Initiated Coastal Sciences group for the Gulf Coast Operating Unit, headquartered in Baton Rouge.
Played a significant role in the introduction of GIS technology to the Baton Rouge office and otherwise
contributed to success of an office that grew from 35 to 200 persons. Dr. Kemp headed several
successful proposal teams that resulted in major projects with various petrochemical and metals firms.
Managed groundwater assessment and remediation projects in several states. Contributed nationwide to
the solution of sediment transport problems unique to wetland and coastal projects. For two rivers in
the Great Lakes region, Dr. Kemp carried out sampling and hydrographic characterization programs to
guide remediation of PCB-contaminated sediments. He also played an on-site role in developing the
shoreline cleanup assessment team (SCAT) approach to evaluate impacts and clean-up options
following the grounding of the Exxon Valdez in Prince William Sound, Alaska. He was principal
investigator on two coastal sedimentation research projects, one in King's Bay, Georgia, and the other in
the marshes of Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana. The Georgia project was designed to examine over a five
year period the effects of channel dredging on sedimentation patterns in an adjacent back-barrier marsh
system that is a National Seashore. The Louisiana project was designed to evaluate the engineering
feasibility of using long-distance pipelines to transport dredged materials and river waters to enhance
existing estuarine marshes and to build new ones in areas of deterioration.
Post-Doctoral Researcher (Jan., 1987 - Oct., 1987), Coastal Ecology Institute, Louisiana State
University
Reduced data generated by a multi-disciplinary research team into a final project report for the United
States Fish and Wildlife Service. Work involved development of artificial methods to enhance deposition
of fine-grained sediments in sea-level wetlands undergoing rapid submergence. Duties included
collaboration with scientists from The Netherlands, technical overview, development of conceptual and
numerical models, and interaction with the public. Drafted collaborative papers and proposals based on
this work.
Hydrogeologist (1985 Ú 1986), Groundwater Technology, Inc., Mandeville, LA.
Employed with start-up office as a hydrogeologist to manage several projects in the south-central U.S.
with annual budgets from $30 to $500 K. Supervised in-house technical staff and subcontractors in all
phases of work, from emergency response to aquifer rehabilitation. This involved the design, permitting,
and construction of specialized water well systems and treatment facilities to decontaminate air and
groundwater, as well as recover free-phase hydrocarbons (liquid or gas). Prepared technical proposals,
reports, and permit applications, usually under severe time constraints, for clients and regulatory
authorities. Trained geological staff in investigative methods, and upgraded PC-based data management
and modeling capabilities at new regional office with a six state territory. Left to complete dissertation
after IPO.
NOAA / Knauss Congressional Fellow (1984), Office of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Washington,
D.C.
One of 10 graduate students selected in 1984 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA). Served on the personal staff of Senator Edward M. Kennedy. Duties varied widely, ranging
from background research to speechwriting and drafting of legislation. Contributed to several legislative
initiatives dealing with space and ocean science, environmental protection, and resource management.
Worked with the Senator, Hill staff, and constituents to see that two of these bills passed both houses of
Congress (Stripped Bass).
Consulting Geologist (1983), Woodward-Clyde Oceaneering, Inc., Houston, TX
Division of Oceaneering, Inc., providing geochemical, geophysical, and geotechnical consulting to the
offshore oil industry (acquired wholly from Woodward-Clyde Consultants, Inc. in 1985). Employed as
a Geologist on a part-time basis through most of the academic year, and full-time in the summer,
collecting and evaluating geochemical and seismic data from the Navarin Basin area of the Bering Sea.
Spent 2.5 months aboard ship as a scientific crew chief and subsequently drafted much of project report.
Consulting Geologist (1980 Ú 1983)
Free lance onsulting for companies involved in offshore oil exploration and development while a graduate
student. Worked with Professors James Coleman and David Prior to analyze side-scan sonar and high-
resolution sub-bottom seismic data from lease blocks slated for bidding. Purpose of work was to
identify areas of potential geologic instability unsuited to the placement of fixed structures (rigs and
pipelines).
Research Associate / Laboratory Manager (1977 Ú 1979), Department of Engineering Research,
Louisiana State University
Set up a laboratory to analyze water from Louisiana wetlands for nitrogen, phosphorus, organic carbon,
and other dissolved chemical species under a grant from the Water Resources Research Institute. Hired
and supervised laboratory personnel in conduct of experiments into the effects of microbial
decomposition on materials exchange across the sediment / water interface. Worked closely with
principal investigator to analyze results and present them at scientific meetings. Research resulted in
several publications.
PUBLICATIONS
Reyes, E., M. L. White, J.F. Martin, G.P. Kemp, J.W. Day, Jr., and V. Aravamuthan. 2000. Landscape
modeling of coastal habitat change in the Mississippi delta. Ecology 81(8): 2331-2349.
Martin, J. F., M. L. White, G.P. Kemp, J.W. Day, Jr., and H. Mashriqui. 2000. Evaluation of coastal
management plans with a spatial model: Mississippi Delta, Louisiana, USA. Environmental
Management 26(2): 117-129.
Cardoch, L., J.W. Day, Jr., J.M. Rybczyk and G.P. Kemp. [Accepted for Publication]. An economic analysis
of using wetlands for treatment of shrimp processing wastewater: a case study in Dulac, Louisiana.
Ecological Economics
Kemp, G. P., J.W. Day, Jr., D.J. Reed, D. R. Cahoon and M. Wang. 1999. Sedimentation, consolidation and
surface elevation change in two salt marshes of the Mississippi River deltaic plain: Geotechnical
aspects of wetland loss. IN Rozas, L.P., J.A. Nyman, C.E. Proffitt, N.N. Rabalais, D.J. Reed and R.E.
Turner (eds.)Proc. Conf. Recent Research in Coastal Louisiana, February 2-5, 1998, Lafayette, LA.
P.15-34.
Reyes, E., J.F. Martin, M.L. White, J.W. Day, Jr., G.P. Kemp. 1999. Landscape modeling in coastal
Louisiana: regional mechanisms of wetland loss. IN Rozas, L.P., J.A. Nyman, C.E. Proffitt, N.N.
Rabalais, D.J. Reed and R.E. Turner (eds.)Proc. Conf. Recent Research in Coastal Louisiana, February
2-5, 1998, Lafayette, LA. P. 202-217.
Kemp, G.P., J.N. Suhayda, H.S. Mashriqui, I. Ll. van Heerden and O. Malbrough. 1995. Assessment
of the Impact of the Wax Lake Outlet Weir on the Water Levels and Sedimentation with the
Lower Atchafalaya River. Open File Report to City of Morgan City, Natural Systems
Management and Engineering Program, Louisiana State University.
Day, J.W., Jr., D. Reed, J.N. Suhayda, G.P. Kemp, D. Cahoon, R.M. Boumans and N. Latif. 1994.
Physical Processes of Marsh Deterioration In (H.H. Roberts, ed.) Critical Physical Processes of
Wetland Loss 1988-1994, Final Report to U.S. Geol. Survey, Reston, Va.
Templet, P. H., M. A. Reams, G. P. Kemp. 1993. Hazardous Waste Taxes in Louisiana and Their
Effect on Importation. Hazardous Waste and Hazardous Materials 10 (1): 97 - 104.
Suhayda, J.N., G. P. Kemp, R. S. Jones and J. Peckham. 1991. Restoration of wetlands using pipeline
transported sediments, IN Coastal Depositional Systems in the Gulf of Mexico, Proc.
GCS/SEPM Found. 12th Ann. Res. Conf., Dec. 8-11, Houston, TX.
Nakashima, L. D., S. V. Cofer-Shabica, J. W. Day, Jr., R. Knaus, R. Delaune, D. Reed, G. P. Kemp and
E. H. Owens. 1991. Marsh/mudflat sedimentation, Cumberland Island, Georgia., Coastal Zone
'91, Seventh Symposium on Coastal and Ocean Management, July 8-12, 1991, Long Beach,
CA.
Owens, E. H., and G. P. Kemp. 1989. Toxic Materials in the Coastal Zone - The Implications of Sea-
Level Rise for Siting Analyses and Risk Assessment; Proc. 1989 Pacific Basin Conf. on
Hazardous Waste, Singapore, April 2-7, East-West Center, Honolulu.
Kemp, G. P., and J. T. Wells. 1987. Observations of shallow-water waves over a fluid mud bottom:
implications to sediment transport , In (N. C. Kraus, ed.) Coastal Sediments '87, Proc. Spec.
Conf. Adv. in Understanding Coastal Sediment Processes, New Orleans, LA., 12-14 May, 1987.
Am. Soc. Civil Engrs., Vol I: 363-378.
Wells, J. T., and G. P. Kemp. 1985. Interaction of surface waves and cohesive sediments: field
observations and geologic significance. In (A. J. Mehta, ed.) Cohesive Sediment Dynamics:
Lecture Notes on Coastal and Estuarine Studies No. 14. Springer-Verlag, New York.
Kemp, G. P., W. H. Conner, and J. W. Day, Jr. 1985. Effects of flooding on decomposition and
nutrient cycling in a Louisiana swamp forest. Wetlands 5: 35-51.
Day, J. W., Jr., and G. P. Kemp. 1985. Long-term impacts of agricultural runoff in a Louisiana swamp
forest. In (P.J. Godfrey, E. R. Kaynor, S. Pelczarski, and J. Benforado, eds.) Ecological
Considerations in Wetlands Treatment of Municipal Wastewaters, Van Nostrand Reinhold Co.,
N.Y.
Kemp, G. P., and J. W. Day, Jr. 1984. Nutrient dynamics in a Louisiana swamp. IN K. C. Ewel (Ed.)
Cypress Swamps, Univ. of Fla. Press, Gainesville, FL.
Wells, J. T., and G. P. Kemp. 1982. Mudflat / marsh progradation along Louisiana's Chenier Plain. In
(D. Nummedal, ed.) Sedimentary Processes and Environments Along the Louisiana-Texas Coast,
Guidebook for 1982 Annual Mtg., Geol. Soc. Am., New Orleans, LA.
Wells, J. T., and G. P. Kemp. 1982. Mudflat / marsh progradation along Louisiana's Chenier Plain: a
natural reversal of coastal erosion. In (D. F. Boesch, ed.) Proc., Conf. on Coastal Erosion and
Wetlands Modification in Louisiana: Causes, Consequences, and Options. U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Serv., Washington, D.C., FWS/OBS-82/59, 256 p.
Wells, J. T. and G. P. Kemp. 1981. Atchafalaya mud stream and recent mudflat progradation:
Louisiana Chenier Plain. Trans., Gulf Coast Assoc. Geol. Soc., 31: 409-416.
Wells, J. T., R. L. Crout, and G. P. Kemp. 1981. An assessment of coastal processes, dredged sediment
transport, and biological effects of dredging on the coast of Louisiana. Center for Wetland
Resources, Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge, Sea Grant Publ. No. LSU-T-81-001, 36 p.
Kemp, G. P., and J. W. Day, Jr. 1981. Floodwater nutrient processing in a Louisiana swamp forest
receiving agricultural runoff. La. Water Resources Res. Inst., Louisiana State Univ., Baton
Rouge, Rept. No. A-043-LA.,60p.
Kemp, G. P., J. T. Wells, and I. Ll. van Heerden. 1980. Frontal passages affect delta development in
Louisiana. Coastal Oceonogr. Climat. News 3: 4-5.
Day, J. W., Jr., W. H. Conner, and G. P. Kemp. 1980. Contribution of wooded swamps and
bottomland forests to estuarine productivity. In (P. L. Fore and R. D. Peterson, eds.) Proc. of
the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ecosystem Workshop. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serv., Albuquerque,
N. M., FWS / OBS-80 / 30.
Kemp, G. P. 1977. Lake Pontchartrain. In (N. J. Craig and J. W. Day, Jr., eds.) Cumulative Impact
Studies in the Louisiana Coastal Zone. Final Rept. La. State Planning Office, Baton Rouge, LA.
Presented Papers with Published Abstracts
Kemp, G.P., Suhayda, J.N., Day, J.W., Jr., and R. M. J. Boumans. The WESWAVES project: wave
action and the erodibility of salt marsh soils. Proc. National Interagency Workshop on Wetlands
Technology Advances for Wetlands Science. 3-7 April, 1995. 264-268.
Kemp, G. P., Suhayda, J. N., Boumans, R. M., Day, J. W. , Jr. and G. Williams. Wave/sediment
interactions in coastal wetland ponds in Louisiana. Coastal Zone '93, Eighth Symp. on coastal
and Ocean Management, New Orleans, 19- 23 July, 1993
Kemp, G. P., and J. T. Wells. Dynamics of nearshore mud deposition: Louisiana Chenier Plain.
Eleventh Int. Cong. on Sedimentology, McMaster Univ., Hamilton, Ontario. 22-27 August,
1982.
Kemp, G. P., I. Ll. van Heerden, and R. Hamiter. Statistical classification of cold fronts in coastal
Louisiana. Ann. Mtg. La. Acad. Sci., Alexandria, LA. March, 1981.
Kemp, G. P., and J. W. Day, Jr. Floodwater processing in a Louisiana swamp. Ann. Mtg., Gulf
Estuarine Res. Fed., Pensacola, FL. 9-11 October, 1980.
Kemp, G. P., and J. W. Day, Jr. Nutrient dynamics in a hydrologically disrupted Louisiana delta
swamp. Ann. Mtg., Am. Soc. Limnol. and Oceonogr., Stony Brook, NY. 18-21, June 1979.
Kemp, G. P., D. Lindstedt, and L. Peeler. Effects of storm water pumpage on Lake Pontchartrain,
Louisiana. 27th Ann. Mtg., Am. Inst. Bio. Sci. 1-4 June, 1976.