Upper Mississippi River
The Upper Mississippi River near Harper's Ferry, Iowa
Origin	Lake Itasca, Minnesota 47.253° N 95.212° W
Mouth	Cairo, Illinois (flows into Lower Mississippi River) 37.013144° N 89.180345° W
Basin countries	US
Length	2000 km (1250 mi)
Source elevation	450 m (1475 ft)[1]
Avg. discharge	5796 m³/s (204,800 ft³/s)[2]
Basin area	8540 km² (3296 mi²)[3]

See also: Mississippi River

The Upper Mississippi River is the portion of the Mississippi River upstream of Cairo, Illinois. From the headwaters at Lake Itasca, Minnesota, the river flows approximately 2000 kilometers (1250 mi) to Cairo, where it is joined by the Ohio River to form the Lower Mississippi River.^[4][5] Lake Itasca and Elk Lake Lake Itasca is a small glacial lake, approximately 1. ... Official language(s) None Capital Largest city Saint Paul Minneapolis Area  - Total   - Width   - Length    - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 12th 87,014 sq mi  225,365 km² 250 miles  400 km 400 miles  645 km 8. ... Map Alexander County, Illinois Political Statistics Founded 1818 Incorporated 1858 County Alexander County Mayor Paul Farris Geographic Statistics Area  - Total  - Land  - Water 23. ... Official language(s) English Capital Largest city Springfield Chicago Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq. ... The Lower Mississippi River is the portion of the Mississippi River downstream of Cairo, Illinois. ... A drainage basin is the area within the drainage basin divide (yellow outline), and drains the surface runoff and river discharge (blue lines) of a contiguous area. ... The source of a river or stream may be a lake, a spring, or a collection of headwaters. ... In hydrology, the discharge of a river is the volume of water transported by it in a certain amount of time. ... The Mississippi River, derived from the old Ojibwe word misi-ziibi meaning great river (gichi-ziibi big river at its headwaters), is the second-longest river in the United States; the longest is the Missouri River, which flows into the Mississippi. ... The Mississippi River, derived from the old Ojibwe word misi-ziibi meaning great river (gichi-ziibi big river at its headwaters), is the second-longest river in the United States; the longest is the Missouri River, which flows into the Mississippi. ... Map Alexander County, Illinois Political Statistics Founded 1818 Incorporated 1858 County Alexander County Mayor Paul Farris Geographic Statistics Area  - Total  - Land  - Water 23. ... Official language(s) English Capital Largest city Springfield Chicago Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq. ... The headwaters of a river are small streams that create it. ... Lake Itasca and Elk Lake Lake Itasca is a small glacial lake, approximately 1. ... Official language(s) None Capital Largest city Saint Paul Minneapolis Area  - Total   - Width   - Length    - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 12th 87,014 sq mi  225,365 km² 250 miles  400 km 400 miles  645 km 8. ... Ohio River viewed from Liberty Hill in Ripley, Ohio. ... The Lower Mississippi River is the portion of the Mississippi River downstream of Cairo, Illinois. ...

Unlike the Lower Mississippi, the upper river is a series of pools created by a system of 29 locks and dams. The structures were authorized by Congress in the 1930s, and most were completed by 1940.^[6] A primary reason for damming the river is to facilitate barge transportation. The dams regulate water levels for the Upper, and play a major part in regulating levels on the Lower Mississippi. DAMS is a racing team from France, involved in many areas of motorsports. ... The Congress of the United States is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States of America. ... Self propelled barge carrying bulk crushed stone A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. ...

Ecology

On the upper reaches, near the Minnesota-Wisconsin border, the river's floodplain is between 1.5 and 5 kilometers (between 1 and 3 mi) wide. South of St. Louis, Missouri, the alluvial floodplain is approximately 80 kilometers (50 mi) wide. Major tributaries to the Upper Mississippi River include the Illinois, Minnesota, St. Croix, Black, and Kaskaskia Rivers.^[7] Official language(s) None Capital Largest city Madison Milwaukee Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 23rd 169,790 km² 420 km 500 km 17 42°30N to 47°3N 86°49W to 92°54W Population  - Total (2000)  - Density Ranked 18th 5,453,896 38. ... In geography, a floodplain is an area of relatively level land that is inundated from time to time. ... Nickname: Gateway City, Gateway to the West, or Mound City Official website: http://stlouis. ... Official language(s) none, English most common Capital Largest city Jefferson City Kansas City Area  - Total   - Width   - Length    - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 21st 69,709 sq mi  180,693 km² 240 miles  385 km 300 miles  480 km 1. ... A tributary (or affluent or confluent) is a contributory stream, a river that does not reach the sea, but joins another major river (a parent river), to which it contributes its waters, swelling its discharge. ... This article is about the river in the U.S. state of Illinois. ... The Minnesota River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 332 miles (534 km) long, in the state of Minnesota in the United States. ... The St. ... River in West Central Wisconsin. ... The Kaskaskia River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 320 mi (515 km) long, in central and southern Illinois in the United States. ...

The Upper Mississippi provides habitat for more than 125 fish species and 30 species of freshwater mussels. Three national wildlife refuges along the river cover a total of 465 square kilometers (285,000 ac). The largest of them, the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, is over 420 kilometers (260 mi) long, reaching from the Alma, Wisconsin area down to Rock Island, Illinois. The refuge consists of blufflands, marshes, bottom-land forest, islands, channels, backwater lakes and sloughs.^[8][7] The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge is a 195,000 acre National Wildlife Refuge located in and along the Upper Mississippi River. ... There are a few other places named Alma in Wisconsin. ... Official language(s) None Capital Largest city Madison Milwaukee Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 23rd 169,790 km² 420 km 500 km 17 42°30N to 47°3N 86°49W to 92°54W Population  - Total (2000)  - Density Ranked 18th 5,453,896 38. ... Rock Island is a city located in Rock Island County, Illinois. ... Official language(s) English Capital Largest city Springfield Chicago Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq. ...

Most of the Upper Mississippi River, though, is not clean enough to allow fish consumption or swimming. Fertilizers and animal and human waste have contributed to high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus throughout the river basin. These nutrients initiate a chemical reaction which reduces the amount of oxygen dissolved in the water, which in turn affects a number of riverine species. The phenomenon also contributes to a hypoxic "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico.^[9] General Name, Symbol, Number nitrogen, N, 7 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 15, 2, p Appearance colorless Atomic mass 14. ... This article is about the chemical element. ... A chemical reaction is a process that results in the interconversion of chemical substances [1]. The substance or substances initially involved in a chemical reaction are called reactants. ... General Name, Symbol, Number oxygen, O, 8 Chemical series Nonmetals, chalcogens Group, Period, Block 16, 2, p Appearance colorless Atomic mass 15. ... Decline of oxygen saturation to anoxia, measured during the night in Kiel Fjord, Germany. ... Sediment from the Mississippi River carries fertilizer to the Gulf of Mexico Dead zones are hypoxic (low-oxygen) areas in the worlds oceans, the observed incidences of which have been increasing since oceanographers began noting them in the 1970s. ... Gulf of Mexico in 3D perspective. ...

Navigation

Navigation locks allow towboats, barges, and other vessels to transit the dams. Approximately 1350 kilometers (850 mi), from the head of navigation near Minneapolis-St. Paul down to Cairo, has been made suitable for commercial navigation with a depth of 2.75 meters (9 ft).^[7] The agriculture and barge transportation industries have lobbied in the late 20th and early 21st centuries for a multi-billion dollar project to replace the aging lock and dam system. Some environmental groups and advocates of budgetary restraint argue that the project lacks economic justification.^[10] The towboat Angelina pushes a barge in New Orleans. ... Head of navigation is a term used to describe the farthest point above the mouth of a river that can be navigated by ships. ... The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. ...

Each lock & dam complex creates a pool upstream of it. There are 29 locks on the Upper Mississippi maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers—from Upper St. Anthony Falls upstream to Chain of Rocks downstream. The locks provide a collective 123 meters (404 ft) of lift.^[11] Note that there is a Lock 5 as well as a Lock 5A. Note also that there is no Lock 23.^[12] The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... United States Army Corps of Engineers logo The United States Army Corps of Engineers, or USACE, is made up of some 34,600 civilian and 650 military men and women. ... Aerial view of Saint Anthony Falls with the upper dam Saint Anthony Falls, or the Falls of Saint Anthony, located near downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, was the only waterfall on the Mississippi River until it was replaced by a series of dams in the 1950s and 1960s. ...

List of pools and locks

Nickname: City of Lakes Motto: En Avant Official website: http://www. ... Nickname: City of Lakes Motto: En Avant Official website: http://www. ... Nickname: City of Lakes Motto: En Avant Official website: http://www. ... Hastings is a city located in Minnesota at the confluence of the Mississippi and St. ... Welch is a township in the state of Minnesota. ... There are a few other places named Alma in Wisconsin. ... Minnesota City is a city located in Winona County, Minnesota. ... Fountain City is a city located in Buffalo County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. ... Genoa is a village located in Vernon County, Wisconsin. ... Eastman is a village located in Crawford County, Wisconsin. ... Guttenberg is a city located in Clayton County, Iowa. ... Downtown Dubuque and the Riverfront Dubuque is a city located in Dubuque County, Iowa. ... Bellevue is a city located in Jackson County, Iowa. ... Fulton is a city located in Whiteside County, Illinois. ... Pleasant Valley is a township in Iowa with over 1,500 residents. ... Rock Island is a city located in Rock Island County, Illinois. ... New Boston is a city located in Mercer County, Illinois. ... Gladstone is a village located in Henderson County, Illinois. ... Keokuk is a city located in Lee County, Iowa. ... Canton is a city located in Lewis County, Missouri. ... U.S. 24 over the Mississippi River. ... New London is a city located in Ralls County, Missouri. ... Clarksville is a city located in Pike County, Missouri. ... Winfield is a city located in Lincoln County, Missouri. ... East Alton is a village located in Madison County, Illinois. ... Charles Melvin Price (1905 - 1988) was a U.S. political figure. ... Granite City is a city located in Madison County, Illinois. ...

References

1. ^ General Information about the Mississippi River. U.S. National Park Service. URL accessed on 2006-04-01.
2. ^ Background on Upper Mississippi River Basin. EPA: Mississippi River Basin & Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia. URL accessed on 2006-04-01.
3. ^ Wlosinski, Joseph, et al. Habitat Changes in the Upper Mississippi River Floodplain. National Biological Service: Our Living Resources. URL accessed on 2006-04-01.
4. ^ Old Man River: History along the Mississippi. Herbert Hoover Presidential Library. URL accessed on 2006-03-12.
5. ^ Upper Mississippi River Region. Rock Island District Engineers. URL accessed on 2006-03-12.
6. ^ About the Upper Mississippi River System. USGS Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center. URL accessed on 2006-03-13.
7. ^ ^a b c Basin Facts. Upper Mississippi River Basin Association. URL accessed on 2006-04-01.
8. ^ About the refuges. Friends of the Upper Mississippi River Refuges. URL accessed on 2006-04-01.
9. ^ Army Corps Reform: The Mississippi River. American Rivers. URL accessed on 2006-04-02.
10. ^ Marcia Zarley Taylor (08 March 2006). River debate continues. AgWeb. URL accessed on 2006-03-13.
11. ^ U.S. Waterway System Facts, December 2005. (PDF) USACE Navigation Data Center. URL accessed on 2006-04-27.
12. ^ Operation & Maintenance of Navigation Installations (OMNI) Reports. Rock Island District Engineers. URL accessed on 2006-04-27.