where is the mississippi trying to change course up north

The Mighty Mississippi is trying hard to change its course. Due to the build up of silt in the lower Mississippi channel, a portion of the water in the lower Mississippi actually reaches the Gulf through the Atchafalaya River, located west of the Mississippi but connected by a vast swamp north of Baton Rouge. This process is natural.

Full Answer

How has the course of the Mississippi changed over time?

Its course has changed many times and it will eventually change its path again. There are several factors that contribute to the change in courses of the Mississippi River. The main factor is energy. The Mississippi is a very curvy, knowns as meandering, river.

What causes the course of the Mississippi River to change?

There are several factors that contribute to the change in courses of the Mississippi River. The main factor is energy. The Mississippi is a very curvy, knowns as meandering, river.

What would have happened to the Mississippi River without human intervention?

Without human intervention, the current channel of the Mississippi River would slow to a trickle while the Atchafalaya would swell. In the 1973 flood, currents swept away a 67-foot concrete wall used for river control, and the entire structure that took four years to build came perilously close to being washed out overnight.

How does the Army Corps of Engineers bend the Mississippi River?

LETTSWORTH — If you drive out to the middle of nowhere and keep going, you can see where the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is battling with the forces of nature. At the confluence of the Mississippi, Atchafalaya and Red rivers, the Corps has erected towering gates that bend the flow of the water.

Will the Mississippi river change course?

The system is designed to prevent the Mississippi River from permanently altering course down the Atchafalaya River, bypassing Baton Rouge and New Orleans, but current flooding could put a strain on the system and in a worst-case scenario make it fail, causing the Mississippi River to change course down the Atchafalaya ...

Why did the Mississippi river changed course in 1876?

U.S. Grant attempted to dig a canal to bypass Vicksburg, the Mississippi River changed its course and accomplished what the Union general could not.

Did an earthquake changed the course of the Mississippi?

One of the world's most powerful earthquakes changed the course of the Mississippi River in Missouri and created Reelfoot Lake in Tennessee while shaking parts of Arkansas, Kentucky, Illinois and Ohio.

What will happen to the Mississippi river in the future?

The Missisippi River's flow is projected to increase in the future as global temperature continues to rise and hydrologic cycle intensifies. Additionally, rapid urbanization in the river basin will create conditions that foster the emergence of mega floods.

Is the Mississippi River moving?

The Mississippi River is a dynamic and changing river. Its course has changed many times and it will eventually change its path again. There are several factors that contribute to the change in courses of the Mississippi River. The main factor is energy.

How many times has the Mississippi River changed its course?

The Louisiana coast has been built over the last 7,000 years by the Mississippi River changing course and creating six different delta complexes. Before the extensive levee system that “trained” our river to stay in one place, the Mississippi changed course about once every 1,000 years.

Is the Mississippi flowing backwards?

The fact that the Mississippi River ran backwards after the massive New Madrid earthquake of 1811 is now the stuff of legend, but did you know that it's run backwards at least twice since?

What would happen if the New Madrid fault line went off?

Nearly 200 schools and over 100 fire stations would be damaged; 37 hospitals and 67 police stations would be inoperable the day after the earthquake in the state of Missouri. Thousands of bridges would collapse and railways would be destroyed, paralyzing travel across southeast Missouri.

Where is the fault line in Mississippi?

The New Madrid Fault Line runs from the tip of Mississippi up into southern Illinois along the Mississippi River. The last major earthquakes along the fault happened in December 1811 and in 1812, but University of Arkansas professor Gregory Dumond said scientists can't predict when the next one will happen.

What's wrong with the Mississippi river?

The Mississippi River and its tributaries have been plagued by nutrient runoff, specifically excess nitrogen and phosphorous. These nutrients are essential to growing soybeans and corn but are often unintentionally lost to rivers and streams, where they become a pollutant and waste farmers' money.

Has the Mississippi river been straightened?

The river has been made straighter to aid navigation, and it has been lined with levees and revetments that control the flow of water. Before that, the river oscillated and meandered, but now it is more confined to a straight path. The Corps says that $100 billion in damages has been avoided as a result since 1928.

Where would you divert the Mississippi and its tributaries to?

The Old River Control Structure diverts a portion of the flow of the Mississippi River into the Atchafalaya River. The diversion is regulated to allow 30% of the combined flow of the Mississippi and Red Rivers to pass down the Atchafalaya River with the remaining flow continuing down the Mississippi River.

When did the Mississippi River change course?

The last major change to the river’s course in the Vicksburg area occurred in 1876. On April 26 of that year, the Mississippi River suddenly changed courses, leaving Vicksburg high and dry.

What are the factors that contribute to the change in the course of the Mississippi River?

There are several factors that contribute to the change in courses of the Mississippi River. The main factor is energy . The Mississippi is a very curvy, knowns as meandering, river.

How long did the Yazoo River Diversion Project take?

The Yazoo River Diversion Project took 25 years to complete, lasting from 1878 until its completion in 1903. This once again gave river traffic access to the town of Vicksburg, which in turn helped bolster the town’s economy which was drying up due to lack of a functional river port.

Why is the flow on the inside of a river bend slower?

Meanwhile, the slower rate of flow on the inside of the river bend allows for the sediments being carried in the water to settle out and be deposited. This allows for the growth of meanders and the change in shape for the river.

Is water on the outside of a meander faster than the inside?

Water on the outside of a meander has a further distance to travel, thus it flows faster than the water on the inside of a meander.

What would happen if the Mississippi River changed course?

A course change in the Mississippi would severely impact the oil industry, shipping and fisheries industries.

What are the sand bars on the Mississippi River?

The sand bars currently clogging the Mississippi are depositional features of sediment reducing flow power. They are similar to small islands and an important part of the life cycle of the river. These formations continue to form along the river’s path.

How much material has been dredged at the mouth of the Mississippi River?

According to U.S. Army Corp of Engineer’s Col. Michael Clancy more than 30 million yards of material has been dredge at the mouth of the Mississippi river, an amount that the river replaces in 11 minutes. Photo: Facebook. According to U.S. Army Corp of Engineer ‘s Col. Michael Clancy, New Orleans District Commander, ...

How much of the Louisiana Delta has been lost since 1932?

Since 1932 almost two million acres of the Louisiana delta plain has been lost, as the Louisiana Gulf coast has experienced one of the highest rises in sea level over the past century. There is one possible positive effect from the 150-mile course change into the Atchafalaya according to Xu. “The Delta will grow very fast.

Is the Mississippi River correcting the Atchafalaya?

Mississippi River Course to Correct to Atchafalaya According to LSU Professor. The Mississippi River is trying to change course into the its historic Atchafalaya Basin channel accordingDr. Jun Xu, a world-renowned hydrologist and Professor of Hydrology of Louisiana State University’sSchool of Renewable Natural Resource.

Who designed the Old River Control Structure?

When the Old River Control Structure was designed, Hans Albert Einstein, son of Albert Einstein and Professor of Hydrology at the University of California – Berkeley, was a consultant on sedimentation hired by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.

Is the Mississippi River changing course?

The Mississippi River is trying to change course into the its historic Atchafalaya Basin channel according to Dr. Jun Xu, a world-renowned hydrologist and Professor of Hydrology at Louisiana State University’s School of Renewable Natural Resource, in a recently released video on Bigger Pie Forum. A course correction Xu says is not a matter ...

How long has the Mississippi River changed course?

The Mississippi River has changed course to the Gulf every thousand years or so for about the last 10,000 years. Gravity finds a shorter, steeper path to the Gulf when sediments deposited by the river make the old path higher and flatter. It’s ready to change course again.

What is the effect of floods on the Mississippi River?

The higher the hill, the greater the “head” or force driving the flow. Floods on the Mississippi raise the water level inside the levees and increase this force. Floods are becoming more frequent, longer, and higher — even though average annual rainfall in the Mississippi drainage basin has been almost flat since 1940.

What river is trying to change its course?

Weather talk: The Mississippi River is trying to change its course. Some of the water in the lower Mississippi actually reaches the Gulf through the Atchafalaya River.

What would happen if the Mississippi River was left alone?

If left alone, the buildup of silt caused by more frequent flooding in recent years would likely have caused much more of the Mississippi water to use the Atchafalaya Basin, instead. This would have left the major port cities of Baton Rouge and New Orleans on a river too shallow for ocean liners.

Where does the water in the lower Mississippi reach?

Due to the build up of silt in the lower Mississippi channel, a portion of the water in the lower Mississippi actually reaches the Gulf through the Atchafalaya River, located west of the Mississippi but connected by a vast swamp north of Baton Rouge. This process is natural.

Where is the Old River Control Structure?

The Old River Control Structure, an Army Corp of Engineers project built in the early 1960s north of Baton Rouge, keeps most of the Mighty Mississippi River water flowing on down through New Orleans and on to the sea.

Posted November 22, 2012

Did you ever hear the saying, "it's easier to get the Mississippi to change its course than get a stubborn child to change his mind"? I guess whoever made this one up didn't know that the Mississippi actually does change its course about every thousand years or so.

Changing Direction

How could a river change its course? Actually, the whole process is due to silt. Every year, erosion from farm fields and building projects washes millions of tons of soil into streams and rivers.

Clogged Up

Over the past eight thousand years, the Mississippi's main channel has become clogged up and changed course at least seven times. Under natural conditions the city of New Orleans should now be underwater, but this has been prevented by the Army Corps of Engineering's spending millions of dollars to prevent the Mississippi from changing course.

What percentage of Mississippi River flows down the Atchafalaya?

The control structure “stopped time” on the Mississippi River, said Army Corps public affairs officer Ricky Boyett. The Red and Mississippi rivers continue to send 30 percent of their combined flow down the Atchafalaya, while the lower Mississippi claims the remaining 70 percent, just as in the 1950s.

Where is the Army Corps of Engineers battling with nature?

Army Corps of Engineers is battling with the forces of nature. At the confluence of the Mississippi, Atchafalaya and Red rivers, the Corps has erected towering gates that bend the flow of the water.

What river is near the Mississippi River?

Atchafalaya: The Future Mississippi River. Right on the southwest corner of the State of Mississippi, there is a confluence of rivers. The Red River, which separates Texas from Oklahoma, meets up with the Mighty Mississippi. A mile to two downstream, a third river splits off from the Mississippi. This is the Atchafalaya River, a distributary river ...

What cities in Louisiana are affected by the Atachafalaya shipping channel?

This will affect the economy of Louisiana and every major city upstream: Memphis, St. Louis, Minneapolis, even Pittsburgh.

What river cuts through the heart of Cajun country?

This is the Atchafalaya River, a distributary river cutting through the heart of Cajun country. But if/when Mother Nature has its way, the Atchafalaya will become the main course of the Mississippi, cutting off both Baton Rouge and New Orleans from the mighty river.