Mississippi River Basin by

Mississippi River Basin by https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk This is my final project for SOE 110 en-us 2020-11-22 06:57:52 UTC 2025-01-22 00:07:04 UTC hello@padlet.com Introduction haleespencer94 https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950205853 The Mississippi river basin stretches from Lake Itasca and flowing through all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. Due to the size and how far it the river basin stretches, it has a large variety of ecosystems, species and uses through the communities. This story board will discuss the challenges along this river basin, the migration, and the sustainable solutions that could be used to assist the challengers the Mississippi basin is facing.

C. (Director). (2015, October 20). A Mississippi River Journey—Headwaters to Delta—in five minutes [Video file]. Retrieved 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=541tR66rdWM]]> 2020-11-22 18:56:48 UTC https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950205853 Size haleespencer94 https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950206023 The Mississippi river basin stretches 2350 miles as mentioned above it starts at Lake Itasca and flowing through all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. The size of the Mississippi River basin watershed drains areas in 32 states and two Canadian provinces totaling about 3.2 million kilometers (National Park Services, 2016) It is one of the largest and longest rivers in the world.

Nag, O. (2017, April 25). Facts About The Mississippi River. Retrieved December 07, 2020, from https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/facts-about-the-mississippi-river.html]]> 2020-11-22 18:56:52 UTC https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950206023 Social parameters : People haleespencer94 https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950206140 Due to the size of the
Mississippi river basin it has been difficult to obtain and exact number of people who are reliant on the basin, NPS.gov stated reports show that about 15 -18 million people and 50 cities in just the upper half of the river use it. This includes obtaining fresh water and the discarding of waste. (National Park Services, 2018) The below image shoes the states that use the Mississippi river basin.

Mississippi River Facts. (n.d.). Retrieved December 06, 2020, from https://www.nps.gov/miss/riverfacts.htm

]]> 2020-11-22 18:56:56 UTC https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950206140 Social parameters : how the water is used haleespencer94 https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950207215 The Mississippi river is used for industrial and municipal waste as well as to provide freshwater to the communities. The Mississippi provides water to many communities due to the size. The river is also used for transportation.]]> 2020-11-22 18:57:39 UTC https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950207215 Species living in Upper Mississippi haleespencer94 https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950208855 The Upper Mississippi river basin is the home for a wide range of species. The basin has more than 127 species of fish and it is said that about 300 species of birds migrate through the upper Mississippi river basin each spring.

River and Basin Facts. (n.d.). Retrieved December 06, 2020, from http://www.umrba.org/facts.htm ]]> 2020-11-22 18:58:43 UTC https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950208855 Species Gulf of mexico haleespencer94 https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950209903 Although the Gulf of Mexico has issues caused by sediments that flow into it, the gulf is still home to a large variety of species, as well as some endangered/threatened species. The Gulf of Mexico has marine mammals, many different kinds of sharks, has a total of 5 threatened or endangered sea turtles and different forms of coral reefs throughout the gulf. (Heimbuch, 2018) This is why the impact of the dead zone is seen to be so damaging in the gulf of Mexico.

Heimbuch, J. (n.d.). 48 Facts You Should Know About the Gulf of Mexico, From Sunken Ships to Ancient Corals. Retrieved December 07, 2020, from https://www.treehugger.com/facts-you-should-know-about-the-gulf-of-mexico-from-sunken-ships-to-ancient-corals-4858704

]]> 2020-11-22 18:59:22 UTC https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950209903 Major Land uses of watershed haleespencer94 https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950210497 Agriculture is one of the major land uses in regard to the Mississippi river basin. The river edge is surrounded by crops and farmland. The below video explains how Mississippi is the leading state for agriculture in the US. Ranging from Cotton, catfish, soybeans, poultry and many agriculture is very present in Mississippi.

M. (2016, October 28). Agriculture in Mississippi | @ISSUE | MPB. Retrieved 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4mzM6rY8wY]]> 2020-11-22 18:59:45 UTC https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950210497 Ecosystem services haleespencer94 https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950279844 When it comes to regulating services the Mississippi river is used to supply freshwater for communities and agriculture. The use of the river for trade and commerce is also a key function of the mississippi river basin. The river also has dams and levees throughout. Due to the size of the river the cultural services have a larger variety. Ranging from boating, water sports and a place for people to visit and enjoy. Because of the amount of people that visit and use this river it is important to have plans in order to preserve the river and its ecosystem.]]> 2020-11-22 19:46:12 UTC https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950279844 Ecosystem Loss of habitat haleespencer94 https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950280108 Over the years the loss of land in general has been a huge amount within the Mississippi river basin. The loss of wetlands and riparian zones was caused mostly due to artificial drainage. (Day Jr, et all 2004) The wetlands and riparian zones are home to many important species throughout the Mississippi river basin, some of these are endangered as well. Examples of the species endangered due to the habitat loss in the Mississippi river basin are the Indiana bat (said to rely on riparian zones and wetlands) and a wood stork. (Mississippi Field office, 2019) These are just a few animals mentioned on the endangered list, but many others are impacted by the habitat loss as well, and the key factor seems to be cause by humans.

Day, J. (2003). Using Ecotechnology to address water quality and wetland habitat loss problems in the Mississippi basin: A hierarchical approach. Biotechnology Advances, 22(1-2), 135-159. doi:10.1016/j.biotechadv.2003.08.012

Federally Endangered, Threatened, and Candidate Species in Mississippi. (2019, March). Retrieved December 6, 2020, from https://www.fws.gov/MississippiES/_pdf/MS%20Species%20Habitat%20Descriptions_2019final.pdf

]]> 2020-11-22 19:46:23 UTC https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950280108 Ecosystem Pollution haleespencer94 https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950282409 Pollution in the basin is largely caused by agriculture. Some of this pollution is caused by fertilizer runoff, animal waste from livestock operation, erosion, and insufficient oversight (Mississippi River Collaborative). Another form of pollution is found in agriculture is nitrogen and phosphorus pollution, the Mississippi river collaborative explains this pollution as being due to animal waste, sewage planet discharge and fertilizer run off. This pollution leads to the death of many species within the river and can also lead to closing down beaches.

]]> 2020-11-22 19:48:00 UTC https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950282409 Water Availability/Access haleespencer94 https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950283303 A challenge of water access or availability is in the the lower Mississippi river basin. The irrigation necessary to use for the crops has caused the aquifers to be depleted in the watershed. This has also lead to more pollution and contaminants running off into the water as well. (Reba, et all. 2017)

Reba, M., Massey, J., Adviento‐Borbe, M., Leslie, D., Yaeger, M., Anders, M. and Farris, J. (2017), Aquifer Depletion in the Lower Mississippi River Basin: Challenges and Solutions. Journal of Contemporary Water Research & Education, 162: 128-139. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1936-704X.2017.03264.x ]]> 2020-11-22 19:48:36 UTC https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950283303 Agriculture & food security haleespencer94 https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950288769 The Mississippi is surrounded by crops and the river is impacted very negatively by the growing of crops.
Majority of the pollution explained below comes from the run off from agriculture crops. This runoff has lead to the the Dead zone in the gulf of Mexico that will also be discussed in a future post.

Agriculture in the Mississippi River Basin: GRID-Arendal. (n.d.). Retrieved December 07, 2020, from https://www.grida.no/resources/6227]]> 2020-11-22 19:52:14 UTC https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950288769 Gulf of Mexico haleespencer94 https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950289313 The gulf of Mexico has endured a large amount of sediments flowing into the waters due to the amount of people who live and work in the upper Mississippi river basin. Because these sediments flow into the Gulf of Mexico is causes what is known as a dead zone. This is due to the hypoxia oxygen depletion
(https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/upper-mississippi-river/)]]> 2020-11-22 19:52:37 UTC https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950289313 Natural disasters haleespencer94 https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950290476 Mississippi has had many natural disasters through the years. Some of these natural disasters consist of The great Mississippi flood of 1927 and Hurricane Katrina (among other hurricanes that also occurred). These natural disasters caused loss in many ways, such as habitat loss for animals, economic loss.

Mandel, K. (2011, May 9). A Tale of Two Rivers--Mississippi River Flood of 1927 excerpt part 1. Retrieved December 6, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGy4DgeaZNo&feature=youtu.be]]> 2020-11-22 19:53:29 UTC https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950290476 Migration haleespencer94 https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950290628 Migration from and to locations can be impacted by natural disasters. People will be displaced if their homes are destroyed as mention above Hurricane Katrina cause damage and destruction all over and left many people homeless. The people were forced to migrate to other locations, on study showed that 100,000-150,000 people evacuated to Houston due to the hurricane. (Berlemann &Steinhardt 2017) Migration will continue to rise as precipitation and change in temperature changes, this will cause the climate to change thus leading to the possible threat of more natural disasters.

Berlemann, Michael & Steinhardt, Max. (2017). Climate Change, Natural Disasters and Migration – A Survey of the Empirical Evidence. CESifo Economic Studies. 63. 353-385. 10.1093/cesifo/ifx019.

The below video explains how Hurricane Katrina is still impacting displaced families. ]]> 2020-11-22 19:53:36 UTC https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950290628 Connection to refuge haleespencer94 https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950290912 Refuge's will migrate to different areas to escape violence or if they are displaced from where they are living. The migration will increase the need for resources in the locations they migrate to. When the onset of the migration is sudden,

the impacts on the climate are harder to avoid. Some of the specific environmental reasons for

migration are caused by the environment, such as hurricanes, tsunamis, cyclones, and wildfire.

]]> 2020-11-22 19:53:49 UTC https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950290912 Current Solutions haleespencer94 https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950291823 After the flood in 2019 more thought has been put into how to manage the river better. Some of the ways mentioned to better manage the river were brought up with Louisiana putting the focus on actually restoring the basin rather than just protecting against floods. (Snider, 2019) The below video shows the ways runoff prevention is in the works. There are also projects in the works to restore the wetlands and habitats lost in the Gulf of Mexico.

]]> 2020-11-22 19:54:28 UTC https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950291823 Solution Proposition one haleespencer94 https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950292218 As explained previously the main causes to pollution in the Mississippi river basin is agriculture. To ensure the amount of runoff stays regulated, monitoring by the cities should be closely done. The cities should also take the time to determine where the largest amount of pollution is coming from. ]]> 2020-11-22 19:54:46 UTC https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950292218 Solution Proposition two haleespencer94 https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950292477 Focus on locating the point source and non point source pollution can assist in reducing the amount of pollution in the Mississippi river basin.A project can put into place int he upper Mississippi river basin to determine where the largest amounts of pollution are coming from, these projects can focus on how to target these areas specifically.]]> 2020-11-22 19:54:56 UTC https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950292477 Solution proposition Three haleespencer94 https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950292777 The last solution proposition is to address the erosion that has already been caused around the lakes and rivers leading into the Mississippi river basin. Barriers can be built to rebuild the eroded areas and prevent further erosion from happening. ]]> 2020-11-22 19:55:09 UTC https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950292777 Solutions in the works haleespencer94 https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950293294 The Gulf of Mexico currently has a list of protected species. This list protects the animals from being taken or harmed, the types of species on this list are Endangered Species, threatened species, candidate species and any species of concern. By having this protection plan in place it will assist in not disturbing these species further.

The referenced link is for the slides explaining the protected species.]]> 2020-11-22 19:55:32 UTC https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950293294 Recap haleespencer94 https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950293563 The Mississippi River basin is a crucial river. After researching this river it is obvious how important it is for the communities, but also for the habitats within it. Many sustainable solutions are in the works to address the pollution in the water and specifically the gulf of Mexico. It seems the root cause of pollutions and habitat loss is the amount of runoff into the water, by implementing regulations and monitoring the pollution can improve.]]> 2020-11-22 19:55:45 UTC https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950293563 Flooding haleespencer94 https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950312138 Flooding is one of he known issues within the Mississippi river basin. In 2019 the Mississippi river had one of its longest floods ever. These floods not only cause damages and loss of habitat, but they lead to economic hardships. This flood was said to have cause roughly $2 billion dollars in damaged.

5 Reasons Why 2019's Mississippi River Flood is the Most Unprecedented of Our Time. (2019, August 05). Retrieved December 07, 2020, from https://mississippiriverdelta.org/5-reasons-why-2019s-mississippi-river-flood-is-the-most-unprecedented-of-our-time/]]> 2020-11-22 20:08:07 UTC https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/950312138 References haleespencer94 https://padlet.com/haleespencer94/499xp8iijappjerk/wish/958756770

Agriculture in the Mississippi River Basin: GRID-Arendal. (n.d.). Retrieved December 07, 2020, from https://www.grida.no/resources/6227

C. (Director). (2015, October 20). A Mississippi River Journey—Headwaters to Delta—in five minutes [Video file]. Retrieved 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=541tR66rdWM

Berlemann, Michael & Steinhardt, Max. (2017). Climate Change, Natural Disasters and Migration – A Survey of the Empirical Evidence. CESifo Economic Studies. 63. 353-385. 10.1093/cesifo/ifx019.

Day, J. (2003). Using Ecotechnology to address water quality and wetland habitat loss problems in the Mississippi basin: A hierarchical approach. Biotechnology Advances, 22(1-2), 135-159. doi:10.1016/j.biotechadv.2003.08.012

Heimbuch, J. (n.d.). 48 Facts You Should Know About the Gulf of Mexico, From Sunken Ships to Ancient Corals. Retrieved December 07, 2020, from https://www.treehugger.com/facts-you-should-know-about-the-gulf-of-mexico-from-sunken-ships-to-ancient-corals-4858704

M. (2016, October 28). Agriculture in Mississippi | @ISSUE | MPB. Retrieved 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4mzM6rY8wY

Mandel, K. (2011, May 9). A Tale of Two Rivers--Mississippi River Flood of 1927 excerpt part 1. Retrieved December 6, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGy4DgeaZNo&feature=youtu.be

Mississippi River Basin. (2020). Retrieved October 27, 2020, from http://www.waterencyclopedia.com/Mi-Oc/Mississippi-River-Basin.html

Mississippi River Facts. (n.d.). Retrieved December 06, 2020, from https://www.nps.gov/miss/riverfacts.htm

N. (n.d.). An Overview of Protected Species in the Gulf of Mexico. Retrieved 2020, from https://www.boem.gov/sites/default/files/oil-and-gas-energy-program/GOMR/NMFS-Protected-Species-In-GOM-Feb2012.pdf

Nag, O. (2017, April 25). Facts About The Mississippi River. Retrieved December 07, 2020, from https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/facts-about-the-mississippi-river.html

Reba, M., Massey, J., Adviento‐Borbe, M., Leslie, D., Yaeger, M., Anders, M. and Farris, J. (2017), Aquifer Depletion in the Lower Mississippi River Basin: Challenges and Solutions. Journal of Contemporary Water Research & Education, 162: 128-139. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1936-704X.2017.03264.x

River and Basin Facts. (n.d.). Retrieved December 06, 2020, from http://www.umrba.org/facts.htm

Slamdot, I. (2015, November 12). Agriculture. Retrieved December 06, 2020, from https://www.msrivercollab.org/focus-areas/agriculture/

5 Reasons Why 2019's Mississippi River Flood is the Most Unprecedented of Our Time. (2019, August 05). Retrieved December 07, 2020, from https://mississippiriverdelta.org/5-reasons-why-2019s-mississippi-river-flood-is-the-most-unprecedented-of-our-time/

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