RIVER MISSISSIPPI                                Hydrosphere

A Case Study of

* River management

* People interfering in the hydrosphere

* A flood management scheme

River Basin / Catchment area

The source of the river is the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains to the north. There are many hundreds of tributaries including the Red River, Missouri river and the river Ohio. The mountains form the river's watershed.

From Minneapolis the river flows South-East into Iowa where it flows south as far as Davenport.  At Davenport it is joined by more small tributaries.  From Davenport it meanders South to St. Louis, where it is joined by the Missouri.  It  then flows South-East, to be joined by the Ohio.  It then flows 400 km before being met by the Arkansas river.  It then flows South through Louisiana, to the Gulf of Mexico, where it splits into the many distributaries of its delta.

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How is the Mississippi controlled ?

Why is the Mississippi controlled  ?  

1. To allow settlement along the flood plain - good sites for residential & industrial development  along the river.

2. To keep open a critical artery of USA transport network

3. To keep down costs brought by flooding (loss of life, income, homes, transport etc...)

Is the management worth the cost ?

Some people argue that it isn't worth it and that nature will always win (note: channel straightening). Huge schemes have cost billions of dollars.   ...

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