The level of the nearly 2,800-mile Mississippi has fallen to an all-time low due to the months-long drought in the United States. A recent drone video (above) taken near Tiptonville, Tennessee, shows the largely dried-out riverbed. According to forecasts by meteorologists, the water level is expected to fall further in the coming weeks.
The currently visible sandbars at Tiptonville are completely submerged under normal conditions. A lack of rainfall in much of the United States led to record depths in the Mississippi and numerous other rivers. And the already low water levels are expected to fall even further in the coming weeks, experts fear.
The result: The Mississippi is currently unavailable as a transportation route in many places, shipping traffic is severely restricted, barges get stuck in the shallows in mud and sandbanks. And that’s not the only concern of the people who live on North America’s second longest river: Some 50 cities along the Mississippi get their drinking water from the river. The supply of the population is seriously threatened.
Drought Exposed Historic Ferry
For historians, however, the low level has its good sides. The drought uncovered a wooden shipwreck near Baton Rouge. This is believed to be a ferry that sank in a storm in 1915. At the time—before bridges crossed the river—it was used to carry passengers and horse-drawn carriages from one bank of the Mississippi to the other.
According to Louisiana’s leading climate researcher, Barry D. Keim, there’s a risk of the Mississippi River drying up completely, but it doesn’t exist. “It would take a massive drought, probably decades, to completely dry up the Mississippi. That’s just not going to happen,” he says.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
