Here are two videos about fluvial geomorphology, the science of how and why rivers move, carry sediment, change course and meander. The first video discusses natural changes that affect river flow. The second discusses the effect of man-made changes to rivers such as damming and straightening. These changes are demonstrated using an ingenious model called a stream table.
The most monumental river-changing engineering effort are the dams and artificial obstructions that for decades have been attempting to prevent the Mississippi from going down its Atchafalaya distributary—its shortest, steepest and hence natural route—and bypassing Baton Rouge and New Orleans, which would literally destroy large portions of the U.S. and world economy. Can the engineers continue to defeat the Big Muddy?
The most monumental river-changing engineering effort are the dams and artificial obstructions that for decades have been attempting to prevent the Mississippi from going down its Atchafalaya distributary—its shortest, steepest and hence natural route—and bypassing Baton Rouge and New Orleans, which would literally destroy large portions of the U.S. and world economy. Can the engineers continue to defeat the Big Muddy?
