Effects of Geologic Outcrops on Long Term Geomorphic Trends: New Madrid, MO, to Hickman, KY

Abstract

The Mississippi River between New Madrid, MO, and Hickman, KY, is of particular interest because of divergent trends in water surface profiles at the upstream and downstream ends of the reach. This report documents the investigation of the bathymetry, geology, and hydraulics of this segment of the river. The report shows that the area near River Mile 901 above Head of Passes strongly affects the river stages at low flows. This part of the river can experience high shear stresses when flows fall below 200,000 cfs, as opposed to most other locations where shear stress increases with flow. One-dimensional hydraulic modeling was also used to demonstrate that an increase of depth at a single scour hole, such as the one downstream from Hickman near River Mile 925, is unlikely to cause reach-wide degradation.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 2021
Accession Number
AD1140296

Entities

People

  • David S. Biedenharn
  • Joseph B. Dunbar
  • Justin S. Giles
  • Kathleen A. Staebell
  • Travis Dahl

Organizations

  • Engineer Research and Development Center

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Army
  • Army Corps Of Engineers
  • Degradation
  • Engineering
  • Engineers
  • Geographic Information Systems
  • Geography
  • Geology
  • Geomorphology
  • Hydraulic Models
  • Mississippi
  • Mississippi River
  • Planetary Sciences
  • Rivers
  • Shear Stresses
  • Steady State
  • United States

Fields of Study

  • Geology

Readers

  • Fluid Dynamics.
  • Riverine Ecology
  • Systems Analysis and Design

Technology Areas

  • Autonomy