Mississippi River Sediment Plume

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Sediment from the Mississippi Floods

These maps illustrate how much sediment flowed into the Gulf of Mexico during the floods on the Mississippi River in May and June 2011. The nutrient-rich sediment is expected to contribute to the development of a record dead zone this summer.

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Taming the Mississippi River

Engineers use levees, floodways, dams, and much more to control the ever restless Mississippi.

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Winter Flooding on the Mississippi

Persistent rains and saturated soils across the watershed swelled the river to its banks and occasionally onto floodplains.

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Long View of the Mississippi River Delta

The river drains water and sediment from 31 U.S. states, delivering both to the Gulf of Mexico via the Atchafalaya and Mississippi River deltas.

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Sediment in the Gulf of Mexico

Sediment-laden water pours into the northern Gulf of Mexico from the Atchafalaya River in this photo-like image taken on April 7, 2009.

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Lay of the Land Between Old River and the Mississippi

This model of the land elevation between the Mississippi, the Atchafalaya, and the Old River show the uphill fight to control river flow.

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Mississippi River Delta

Time, weather, and human intervention have all shaped the Mississippi Delta in Louisiana, a giant bird’s foot shape protruding into the Gulf of Mexico. The Mississippi River deposits sediment into the ocean, and over 25 years, NASA Landsat satellites observed changes in the delta’s shape.

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Winter Flooding in Mississippi and Louisiana

Persistent heavy rains in the first two months of 2020 have swelled rivers from Missouri to the Gulf of Mexico.

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Flooding on the Lower Mississippi Continues

Much of the Lower Mississippi River was flooded in March.

Water Floods Remote Sensing

Sediment Plume in Lake Pontchartrain

Taken May 17, 2011, this astronaut photograph shows a plume of thick sediment in Lake Pontchartrain, delivered through the Bonnet Carré Spillway.

Land Floods

Mississippi Meanders

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Mississippi River Escapes the Gulf

In the summer months, a large portion of the Mississippi River outflow heads southeast into the Gulf of Mexico.

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Low Water on the Mississippi Causes Barge Backup

The drought of 2012 reduced traffic to one towboat at a time; groundings closed parts of the river for hours to days.

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