The Lower Mississippi River flows from the confluence of the Ohio River and Mississippi River at Cairo, Illinois into the Gulf of Mexico. Mississippi River and Ohio River pathway shifts have shaped and re-shaped the l...The Lower Mississippi River flows from the confluence of the Ohio River and Mississippi River at Cairo, Illinois into the Gulf of Mexico. Mississippi River and Ohio River pathway shifts have shaped and re-shaped the landscapes through which they flow and where their sediment-laden tributary waters co-mingle at the confluence on the voyage to the Gulf of Mexico. For much of their history, the lands adjacent to the Lower Mississippi River were bottomlands that flooded with the seasons unconstrained by human river training structures. Since 1717 European nations have fought over strategic navigational control of the Mississippi River. After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the United States took controlled the Lower Mississippi River. During the Civil War, from 1861-1865, the Union and Confederate forces battled for navigational control of the Lower Mississippi River. The primary objective of this paper was to highlight how the strategic navigational and flooding control of the Lower Mississippi River and geological and landscape resources were responsible for the successful economic development of this rich historical region of North America.展开更多
The Birds Point-New Madrid Floodway（BP-NMF） and the Yolo Bypass, located on the Mississippi and Sacramento rivers, respectively, are agriculture areas that were once each part of vast wetlands but are now intermitte...The Birds Point-New Madrid Floodway（BP-NMF） and the Yolo Bypass, located on the Mississippi and Sacramento rivers, respectively, are agriculture areas that were once each part of vast wetlands but are now intermittently used for flood control. Here the similarity stops, the BP-NMF has been used to convey floodwaters only twice in nearly 80 years, while the Yolo Bypass is used for this purpose on average every other year. The consequences are greatly different. In 2011, the BP-NMF was activated through the explosive detonation of the ＇fuse plug＂ portion of its levees, resulting in elevated property and economic damages, crop losses, and litigation. High-energy flows following the opening of the BP-NMF scour coarse sediment in the vicinity of the opening of the BP-NMF and deposit this material within the floodway, including on agricultural fields. In general the environment of much of the BP-NMF provides poor wildlife habitat. In contrast, the routine operation of Yolo Bypass is expected, avoids damage and litigation, supplies organic-rich sediment to fields, and provides good wildlife habitat. The difference between the two systems is attributed to a better approximation of natural conditions on the Yolo Bypass.展开更多
文摘The Lower Mississippi River flows from the confluence of the Ohio River and Mississippi River at Cairo, Illinois into the Gulf of Mexico. Mississippi River and Ohio River pathway shifts have shaped and re-shaped the landscapes through which they flow and where their sediment-laden tributary waters co-mingle at the confluence on the voyage to the Gulf of Mexico. For much of their history, the lands adjacent to the Lower Mississippi River were bottomlands that flooded with the seasons unconstrained by human river training structures. Since 1717 European nations have fought over strategic navigational control of the Mississippi River. After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the United States took controlled the Lower Mississippi River. During the Civil War, from 1861-1865, the Union and Confederate forces battled for navigational control of the Lower Mississippi River. The primary objective of this paper was to highlight how the strategic navigational and flooding control of the Lower Mississippi River and geological and landscape resources were responsible for the successful economic development of this rich historical region of North America.
文摘The Birds Point-New Madrid Floodway（BP-NMF） and the Yolo Bypass, located on the Mississippi and Sacramento rivers, respectively, are agriculture areas that were once each part of vast wetlands but are now intermittently used for flood control. Here the similarity stops, the BP-NMF has been used to convey floodwaters only twice in nearly 80 years, while the Yolo Bypass is used for this purpose on average every other year. The consequences are greatly different. In 2011, the BP-NMF was activated through the explosive detonation of the ＇fuse plug＂ portion of its levees, resulting in elevated property and economic damages, crop losses, and litigation. High-energy flows following the opening of the BP-NMF scour coarse sediment in the vicinity of the opening of the BP-NMF and deposit this material within the floodway, including on agricultural fields. In general the environment of much of the BP-NMF provides poor wildlife habitat. In contrast, the routine operation of Yolo Bypass is expected, avoids damage and litigation, supplies organic-rich sediment to fields, and provides good wildlife habitat. The difference between the two systems is attributed to a better approximation of natural conditions on the Yolo Bypass.
