Download or read book A Suitability Analysis of the Wetlands Along the Middle Mississippi River Floodplain for Riverine Nitrate Attenuation written by Noah Rocco Scalero and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 110 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Persistently elevated nitrogen loads discharged to the Gulf of Mexico from the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers have been shown by a vast body of literature to be the cause of recurring hypoxic conditions in the Gulf of Mexico. Riverine wetlands have been shown to be important ecosystems capable of substantially reducing nitrogen loads delivered downstream through N removal processes including denitrification, anaerobic ammonium oxidation, and plant uptake. In order to assess the relative potential of wetland sites for nitrogen attenuation, a suitability analysis was performed to identify the relative nitrogen attenuation potential of wetlands within the Middle Mississippi River (MMR) floodplain. For this assessment, the literature on nitrogen cycling in riverine wetlands was used to identify variables which are associated with denitrification potential. Data for these variables were sourced from publicly available geospatial datasets and floodplain inundation frequency estimates using a hydraulic model. The variables compiled for this analysis included flood frequency, soil drainage class, soil hydrologic class, soil pH, soil texture, land use, and soil organic carbon. Principle component analysis was applied to the dataset to reduce the number of variables in the suitability model. The results of the principle components analysis revealed that the first four components explained 77% of the variation within the dataset of potential denitrification variables. As a result of the PCA analysis, the variables Soil Hydrologic Class, Soil Organic Carbon, Land Cover, Soil pH, SSURGO's Flood Frequency, and Flood Exceedance Probability were used to evaluate riverine wetland areas potential for denitrification under two hydrologic connection scenarios, a "with-levee" and a "no-levee" condition. For the with levee scenario, there were 66,146 ha of floodplain that attained a suitability rating of average potential, an additional 16,937 ha of floodplain attained high potential, and 706 ha of floodplain were rated as having very-high potential. The second scenario assumed removal of levees in the study area. In this scenario, there were 65,897 ha in the floodplain that attained a suitability rating of average potential. There were 34,457 ha in the study segment that attained a rating of high potential, whereas 510 ha attained a very-high potential on the suitability scale. These results were then analyzed by levee system, comparing economic and population data with the results of the suitability analysis. In particular, the amount of area within a levee system achieving a rating of high potential vs. the total property value within the levee system was compared to determine which systems would be best candidates for strategic reconnection. This analysis suggests that the Bois & Brule, the Big Five, and the Grand Tower / Degonia Levee systems are the most suitable systems for strategic reconnection efforts in the study area.

Download or read book Hydrological and Geochemical Assessment of Denitrification Potential in the Middle Mississippi River Floodplain Wetlands written by Ty H. Genz and published by . This book was released on 2023 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Wetland systems have been widely studied and found to have enhanced capacity to transform meaningful amounts of nitrate (NO3-N) from shallow subsurface water before the improved-quality water is delivered to lake, river, and groundwater systems. Wetland are characterized by the abundant presence of electron donors and acceptors (i.e., organic carbon & NO3-N, respectively) as well as anoxic and reducing conditions which are crucial for supporting denitrification processes and the reduction of excessive nitrate levels in the environment. When favorable conditions within the wetland systems are not present, denitrification is often limited to the biofilm-protected bacteria hosted on the sediment surfaces. However, there is still a need to determine if floodplain wetlands are being utilized to their maximum potential in excess nitrate removal. Here I evaluated the role of hydrological and geochemical parameters in controlling the nitrate reduction capacities of four floodplain wetlands in the Dogtooth Bend area situated along the Middle Mississippi River in Alexander County, Illinois. To do this I evaluated NH3, H2S, Fe2+, and alkalinity concentrations using Hach® methodologies while I utilized a Dionex Integrion HPIC system in unison with a Dionex AS-DV auto sampler to quantify anion concentrations. I also collected and froze samples at -10°C to be sent to 3rd party labs for analysis of sediments, organic matter, and isotopes. The data indicates that the low NO3-N content of wetland waters and a lack of NO3-N inputs from Mississippi River inundation during the study period are likely hindering the high denitrification capacity of Dogtooth Bend wetlands. In this study, I also evaluated site conditions to determine which pathways for denitrification are possible at each of the study sites. The relatively high abundance of organic carbon relative to other electron donors at the studied wetlands suggests that the most likely route for NO3-N transformation was via organic carbon oxidation coupled denitrification. The dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonia (DNRA) pathway could have been possible at two of the assessed sites. X-ray diffraction analysis of soil samples indicate that all sites are rich in clay minerals, such as smectite, illite, and kaolinite. The two sites, with the highest smectite clay contents potentially could have favored DNRA processes. The presence of smectite clays that exhibit excellent adsorption properties for ammonium ion (NH4+) may also explain the discrepancy in NH3-N concentrations between this smectite-rich sites and the other study sites. The relatively low ferrous iron concentrations found at all the field sites suggest iron-coupled denitrification was not a likely denitrification pathway within the studied wetlands. Utilizing published denitrification rates from (Samberg, 2023) along with field site volumes and soil porosities, a theoretical maximum amount of nitrate loss through denitrification processes was estimated to be 1.15 x 106 mg of NO3-N per day from the average field site volume of 5.43 x 104 m3. The natural conditions at the floodplain wetlands considered in this study were characterized by the persistence of low NO3-N concentrations, high DO levels (> 2 mg/L) and high ORP (> 0 mV) suggesting that even though denitrification could have occurred at the sites, the denitrification rates were well below their maximum potential as determined in the laboratory tests. The denitrification processes were likely attributable to the biofilm protected bacteria hosted on the sediment surfaces. My results show that inundation of the studied wetlands by NO3-N-rich Mississippi River water is required to supply NO3-N and establish the anoxic conditions are critical for sustain denitrification processes in the studied wetlands. This finding underscores the importance of river-wetland connection for the maximization of NO3-N processing within river corridors.

Download or read book Occurrence and Transport of Agricultural Chemicals in the Mississippi River Basin July Through August 1993 written by D. A. Goolsby and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Nutrients in the Upper Mississippi River written by and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 6 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Floodplain Management Assessment of the Upper Mississippi River and Lower Missouri Rivers and Tributaries written by and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page 500 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Evaluation of Water quality and Habitat Assessment Data to Determine Ranges in Stream Conditions in the Mississippi River Alluvial Plain of Northwestern Mississippi and Eastern Arkansas written by Richard A. Rebich and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 64 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Occurrence and Transport of Agricultural Chemicals in the Mississippi River Basin July Through August 1993 written by Charles A. Perry and published by . This book was released on 1984 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Mississippi River Water Quality and the Clean Water Act written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2008-03-08 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Mississippi River is, in many ways, the nation's best known and most important river system. Mississippi River water quality is of paramount importance for sustaining the many uses of the river including drinking water, recreational and commercial activities, and support for the river's ecosystems and the environmental goods and services they provide. The Clean Water Act, passed by Congress in 1972, is the cornerstone of surface water quality protection in the United States, employing regulatory and nonregulatory measures designed to reduce direct pollutant discharges into waterways. The Clean Water Act has reduced much pollution in the Mississippi River from "point sources" such as industries and water treatment plants, but problems stemming from urban runoff, agriculture, and other "non-point sources" have proven more difficult to address. This book concludes that too little coordination among the 10 states along the river has left the Mississippi River an "orphan" from a water quality monitoring and assessment perspective. Stronger leadership from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is needed to address these problems. Specifically, the EPA should establish a water quality data-sharing system for the length of the river, and work with the states to establish and achieve water quality standards. The Mississippi River corridor states also should be more proactive and cooperative in their water quality programs. For this effort, the EPA and the Mississippi River states should draw upon the lengthy experience of federal-interstate cooperation in managing water quality in the Chesapeake Bay.

Download or read book Study Plan for an Environmental Inventory and Assessment of the Mississippi River 9 ft Channel Project Between St Louis Missouri and Cairo Illinois written by William P. Emge and published by . This book was released on 1973 with total page 46 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Mississippi River Reservoir Benefit Study written by and published by . This book was released on 1963 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Impact of Federal Programs on Wetlands The Lower Mississippi Alluvial Plain and the Prairie Pothole Region written by and published by . This book was released on 1988 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book A Conceptual Model of the Upper Mississippi River System Ecosystem written by Kenneth S. Lubinski and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Water Resources Planning for the Upper Mississippi River and Illinois Waterway written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2005-12-18 with total page 73 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently completed its feasibility study for the Upper Mississippi River-Ilinois Waterway, which was one of the agency's longest and most complicated studies in its history. The first two reports from this WSTB committee reviewed analytical aspects of the Corps feasibility study. Water Resources Planning for the Upper Mississippi River and Illinois Waterway considers the broader issue of managing the multiple resources of the Upper Mississippi River and Illinois Waterway, especially with regard to several, recently-issued NRC reports on Corps of Engineers planning procedures. The report finds that a key issue regarding planning decisions on these river systems is the ambiguity related to several different pieces of legislation and acts that govern river management, and thus recommends that the administration and Congress clarify the federal intent for managing this river and waterway system. The report recommends an independent, retrospective reivew of the experience with a federal inter-agency Principals Group, which was convened to provide guidance to the Corps study. It is also recommended that the Corps strive to incorporate flexible, adaptive management principles through its entire water planning program, including operations of the lock and dam system.

Download or read book Distribution of Selected Herbicides and Nitrate in the Mississippi River and Its Major Tributaries April Through June 1991 written by D. A. Goolsby and published by . This book was released on 1991 with total page 430 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book An Introduction to the Environmental Literature of the Mississippi Deltaic Plain Region written by and published by . This book was released on 1981 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Thecamoebians as an Environmental Proxy for the Middle Mississippi River Floodplain written by Stephanie K. Jarvis and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Upper Mississippi River Comprehensive Basin Study written by Upper Mississippi River Basin Coordinating Committee and published by . This book was released on 1970 with total page 1230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: