Lower Mississippi River
Lower Mississippi River | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | US |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | |
• location | Cairo, Illinois (confluence of Ohio River and Upper Mississippi River) |
• elevation | 315 ft (96 m) |
Mouth | |
• location | Gulf of Mexico |
Length | 990 mi (1,600 km) |
The Lower Mississippi River is the portion of the
confluence of the Ohio River and Upper Mississippi River at Cairo, the Lower flows just under 1000 miles (1600 km) to the Gulf of Mexico.[1] It is the most heavily travelled component of the Mississippi River System.[2]
Structures
Unlike on the upper rivers, there are no
Mississippi River – Gulf Outlet Canal and other man-made structures on the lower reaches of the river seek to manipulate the flow of water in the vicinity of New Orleans.[4]
History
The political and engineering focus in the 20th century was to separate the Lower Mississippi River from its
Channel depth of 9 feet is maintained by the
St. Louis, Missouri to Baton Rouge, Louisiana
.
On the lower Mississippi, from Baton Rouge to the Gulf, the navigation depth is 45 feet, allowing for container ships and cruise ships to dock at the
New Panamax ship depths.[8]
See also
- List of crossings of the Lower Mississippi River
- 2011 Mississippi River floods
- Upper Mississippi River
References
- ^ Bragg, Marion (1977). Names and Places on the Mississippi River. Vicksburg: Mississippi River Commission. Archived from the original on 2006-01-28.
- ^ "Waterborne Commerce Statistics Center". Navigation Data Center. Archived from the original on 2006-02-08. Retrieved 2006-03-12.
- ^ "The Mississippi and Its Uses". Rock Island District Engineers. Archived from the original on 2003-04-04. Retrieved 2006-03-12.
- ^ "The Mississippi River and Tributaries Project". US Army Corps of Engineers. Archived from the original on 2006-01-28. Retrieved 2006-03-12.
- ^ "Background on Lower Mississippi River Basin". EPA: Mississippi River Basin & Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia. Retrieved 2006-04-02.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "The Mississippi River & Tributaries (MR&T) Project". United States Army Corps of Engineers. Archived from the original on 2009-06-18. Retrieved 2011-05-19.
- ^ "Mississippi Valley Trade & Transport Council". Archived from the original on 2016-02-05. Retrieved 2016-01-23.
- ^ "Corps to Study Lower Mississippi River Deepening Project". 18 June 2015.
- ^ "Huge Barge Backup Eases on Mississippi, Freeing Tons of Cargo". Bloomberg. 9 October 2022.
- ^ Plume, Karl (10 October 2022). "Mississippi River reopens to barge traffic after low water closures - U.S. Coast Guard". Reuters.