Compared to the “boundary course,” why would the present course of the Mississippi River be an advantage to river traffic such as barges?

The following questions are based on Map T-5, a portion of the “Jackson, Mississippi-Louisiana” topographic map (scale 1:250,000; contour interval 50 feet; dashed lines are supplementary contours at 25-foot intervals). This map shows the Mississippi River near the town of Vicksburg, Mississippi (32°49'56"N, 91°11'07"W). A color satellite image of this same region is shown in Figure 40-5 (scan the QR code for this exercise or go to the Lab Manual website and Exercise 40). The eastern bluffs of the Mississippi River floodplain can be seen in the southeast corner of the map. The dashed black line along the Mississippi River shows the state boundary between Mississippi and Louisiana. Notice that the “boundary course” of the Mississippi River is quite different from the present course of the river. Some of the changes were natural, others were artificial. There is an extensive set of artificial levees along the course of the river (shown with closely spaced brown tick marks).
What will be an ideal response?


Shorter distance; straighter course.

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

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