Uses of the river

Commercial uses :

A clear channel is needed for the barges(a long, large, usually flatbottom boat for transporting freight that is generally unpowered and towed or pushed by other craft.) and other vessels that make the mainstem Mississippi one of the great commercial waterways of the world.


Barge on Mississippi river

















source : http://www.flickr.com/photos/flipp3r2008/2547034903/


Wildlife :

The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge is a 240,000 acre, 261 river mile long National Wildlife Refuge located in and along the Upper Mississippi River.

It runs from Wabasha, Minnesota in the north, to Rock Island, Illinois on the south.
In its northern portion, it is in the Driftless Area, a region of North America that escaped being ice-covered during the last ice age. Certain parcels contained within the refuge were later transferred in the Driftless Area National Wildlife Refuge.

It has many wooded islands, sloughs, and hardwood forests. The unique wildlife found here includes the canvasback duck, tundra swan, white-tailed deer, and muskrat. Recreational activities include boating, hunting, fishing, and swimming.


United States Fish and Wildlife Service

source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_Mississippi_River_National_Wildlife_and_Fish_Refuge

The Mississippi River and its valley also support many kinds of animals and plants including freshwater fishes, birds, deer, raccoons, otters, mink, and a variety of forest trees. But pollution from agriculture and industry seriously threaten the life of the Mississippi.

source : http://www.42explore2.com/missriv.htm

The Mississippi and transport :

The Mississippi became an important route for transport and trade early in the 19th century. It is navigable from the Falls of St. Anthony in Minneapolis to its mouth. Cargo ships, barges and even paddle steamers transport both cargo (grain, paper, cotton, iron and steel) and people along the Mississippi. Cities and industries have grown up along the banks of the Mississippi because it is a natural waterway fro transporting goods.


Agriculture :

It is a source of water for irrigation which is why agriculture is important along the banks of the Mississippi. The Mississippi has a particularly fertile floodplain which has shrunk by 10% over the last 100 years because people are trying to control the river to prevent it from flooding. The floodplain doesn't receive mud and silt deposits any more.

The Upper Mississippi River Basin (UMRB) have the greatest amount of artificially drained soil, the highest percentage of total land in agriculture (feed grains and soybeans in the north and cotton, groundnuts, and rice) and the highest use of nitrogen fertilizers in the nation. The region has abundant precipitation most years for crop growth and only rarely suffers from major yield declines because of drought.


source : http://www.mindfully.org/Farm/Nitrogen-Upper-Mississippi-River.htm and http://www.kented.org.uk/ngfl/subjects/geography/rivers/FeatureArticles/mississippi.htm