Changes in the Sediment Regime and Channel Morphology of the Lower Mississippi River

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Many stream channels have been modified significantly in the last century. Dams, levees, revetments, meander cut-offs, and reservoirs have been constructed to control floods and to improve navigation. These modifications have severely altered the morphology of the channels and have changed the patterns of erosion and sedimentation. The exact character of these changes is not well documented, however. Among the most drastically modified streams is the lower Mississippi River. This project will use historic hydrographic survey maps to measure changes in channel morphology and sediment regimes on the lower Mississippi over the last century. The data gathered in this project will also be used to analyze the degree to which human versus natural forces have altered flows and depositional patterns, and they will provide a basis for more detailed examination of the processes of meandering in large streams. This project will yield useful results at a number of levels. It will provide a data set specific to the lower Mississippi River. These data will be valuable aids to scholars studying this stream and to practitioners who must deal directly with flood control and navigation systems. The conclusions drawn in this project will also have broader significance, offering new insights into the processes by which stream flow and sediment transport respond to modification by humans and to changes in natural conditions.