bin
Mississippi River, La Crosse, Wisconsin, USA
United States, Wisconsin, La Crosse
Spanning across 2,980,000km2, the Mississippi River flows through 40% of the United States. 3.766km long, one could think of it as North America’s “Amazon” River. The long body of water is a major contributor to our Country’s commerce. 90% of the nations agricultural exports flow through the river. In 2019 500Mln tons of goods from various industries were shipped on the river. The Mississippi River also serves as a water source and energy producer in the form of hydropower.
While above water is full of life, what’s underwater is a whole new world. Over 260 different species of fish can be found in the river making up a quarter of the countries total fish species. The river hosts popular sport fish like bass, pike, walleye, catfish, crappie, and panfish. What’s unique about the water is that several species of archaic fish can be found, the paddlefish & a couple species of sturgeon.
- Submitted by
- Luke Manty
- Approved by
- Fritz Rohde & Lawrence Kent
- GPS
- 43.7899742, -91.2559891
- Geographical region
- Northern America
- Drainage Basin
- Gulf of Mexico
- River catchment
- Mississippi River
- Water body type
- River
- Water body name
- Mississippi River
- Water body part
- River mouth
- Water body course
- Source
- Water body: tributary of
- River
- Tributary name
Warning: Undefined variable $fish_parent in /home/biotopea/public_html/wp-content/themes/bap/content-bin.php on line 55
Water Chemistry
Water information
- Water type
- fresh-water
- Water color
- Clear water
- Water transparency
- Medium
- Concentration of sediments
- Medium
- Water temperature
- 25.5 °C
- Water flow/curent
- Slow
Chemical parameters
- pH
- 7
- Conductivity
- 218
- GH
- 98 mg/l
- dGH
- KH
- dKH
- Dissolved Oxygen
- 12 %
Substrate in nature
- Sand
- Beige
- Pebble/Gravel
- Grey
- Stone
- Brown
- Stone form
- Roundish
- Silt/Mud
- Beige
- Leaves
- Many
- Driftwood
- Many
- Submerged terrestrial vegetation
- Yes
Aquatic Biotope
- Date of collecting
- 11 July, 2024
- Collecting area
- River bank
- Water depth
- over 2,0m
- Air temperature
- 28 °C
- Sunlight
- Full sun
Environment
- Environment
- Human settlements
- Human settlements
- Urban area
- Surrounding area
The town of La Crosse, Wisconsin borders the river to the east. The college town see’s hosts a lot of people, from students to workers in the manufacturing industry. Boats can be seen everyday going down the river. The section of the river by La Crosse breaks off into swampy lakes, and mini winding rivers. The land between hosts several campgrounds, and parks.
- Underwater landscape
Underwater, sand, silt, and mud are present. The slow current has gradually flattened out the river bottom. Rocks and boulders have been smoothed out over the years. The sections where the river sort of wanders off all have different variants of depth. A bridge running through the water creates a micro ecosystem. Along the river bank, plants and trees creep to the waters edge. Driftwood can be seen washed ashore floating down from north of the river.
Fishlist:
- Micropterus salmoides (Centrarchidae) – Largemouth Bass
- Sander vitreus (Percidae) – Walleye
-
Pomoxis nigromaculatus (Centrarchidae) – Crappie
- Ictalurus punctatus (Ictaluridae) – Channel Catfish
- Esox lucius (Esocidae) – Pike
- Micropterus dolomieu (Centrarchidae) – Smallmouth Bass
- Lepomis macrochirus (Centrarchidae) – Bluegill
- Lepomis cyanellus (Centrarchidae) – Green Sunfish
Aquatic plants:
- Nymphaea spp. (Nymphaeaceae) – Water Lily
- Ceratophyllum demersum (Ceratophyllaceae) – Hornwort
- Myriophyllum aquaticum (Haloragaceae) – Water Milfoil
Wetland plant:
- Lemna spp. (Araceae) – Duckweed
Aquatic moss:
- Chara spp. (Characeae) – Musk Grass
- Threats to ecology
The busy town creates its fair share of pollution. Both river and air quality are far from perfect. Over the last 20 years, river pollution was made a priority however, trash may still find its way in. Boats and water vehicles also leak oil and gas into the water. During periods of heavy rain, the river picks up speed and kicks up the sediment, changing the landscape below, and clogging up water ways. dams and dredges have been used to combat this problem.
Riparian zone
- Trees near the aquatic habitat
-
Many - Tilia americana (Malvaceae)
Comment by the expert
Lawrence Kent: Appropriate research.
Fritz Rohde: Research and background information adequate.
