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Taking the Pulse of a River System: Research on the Upper Mississippi River System

July 7, 2009

Mark Twain raved about the Mississippi River basin as, 'the body of the Nation'. The 'upper body', upstream of the confluence with the Ohio River, includes commercially navigable reaches and branching tributaries that are recreationally and environmentally important. Together they feed and shelter an array of fish and wildlife in their flowing channels, floodplain lakes, backwaters, wetlands, and floodplain forests. Effective river management requires knowledge about factors controlling the dynamics and interactions of important ecosystem components. The Long Term Resource Monitoring Program (LTRMP) is the prized diagnostic tool in the Environmental Management Program for the Upper Mississippi River System that provides critical information about the status and trends of key environmental resources.

Publication Year 2009
Title Taking the Pulse of a River System: Research on the Upper Mississippi River System
DOI 10.3133/fs20093045
Authors Jennifer Sauer, Barry Johnson
Publication Type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Series Title Fact Sheet
Series Number 2009-3045
Index ID fs20093045
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
USGS Organization Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center