Comments on: Mississippi River Traffic Closed in Two Locations (AGW Linked)

By: Not to miss climate change stories / issues / items / events of 2012

Not to miss climate change stories / issues / items / events of 2012 — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 16:50:53 +0000

[…] Drought Closes Mississippi River Traffic in Two Locations […]

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 23:30:30 +0000

In reply to steve.

Steve, have a look at this: http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2012/08/04/what-is-the-link-between-global-warming-and-drought/

By: steve

steve — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 05:11:03 +0000

I am a strong believer in man caused global warming, as science has conclusively shown us. But, a blanket statement that the current drought in the Midwest is specifically due to this global warming, or other similar claims for certain individual weather events, is possibly misleading. Do you have citations to back this claim for this specific event? It seems these days that any unusual meteorological event is automatically concluded to be caused by man induced warming, cause and effect, instead perhaps that only a correlation exists.

By: Art

Art — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 20:24:04 +0000

The Corp of Engineers will, as they always do, want to dredge, dam and lock their way back to reliable barge traffic. A major problem with this is that it massively screws with the water dependent ecosystem. It always means dumping more water downstream when the ecosystem needs less flow and less water downstream when it needs more.

A more environmentally responsible and cost effective solution is to shift from barges toward railroads.

By: Jim Thomerson

Jim Thomerson — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 14:03:00 +0000

Lock and Dam 26R at Wood River, IL, is the last regulation structure on the Mississippi. Lock and Dam 27 is on the Chain of Rocks Canal which bypasses the Chain of Rocks rapids on the north side of St. Louis.

By: MadScientist

MadScientist — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 06:54:24 +0000

Weirs and locks perhaps rather than dams and locks. They have many benefits and a few downsides (aside from the cost).

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 03:51:53 +0000

That sucks. You and the air traffic controllers. And look where we are now!

By: Jim Thomerson

Jim Thomerson — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 03:44:27 +0000

i was involved in a Corps study of Hydropower on Lock & Dam 26R, the most recently constructed lock and dam, a replacement for the aging Lock and Dam 26. It was a really slick project, and would have been constructed in conjunction with the lock and dam construction. It sailed through review almost all the way. Then, one day the Colonel held district meeting, and told us President Regan had taken the Corps out of the hydropower business. I don’t think the hydropower plant will ever be built. Termination of the project resulted in the firing of 19 of us, mostly part timers like myself.

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 03:37:10 +0000

The Wisconsin segment that is closed is above the locks and dams, but that does not mean much since the dams only affect a certain distance upstream. Could be RTTM but given the trend that this drought is part of, I don’t think that is a useful way to look at it.

By: lyle

lyle — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 03:05:19 +0000

Of course one could cite this as a reversion to the mean issue, given the record floods on the Mississippi last year. Now there are some studies at least on putting generation on the dams and locks of the Ohio. BTW the Mississippi at Wisconsin is already damned and locked. It is controlled this way to Saint Louis. It is really the river below Cairo that is not controlled right now.