Maquoketa River Floodplain-River Connectivity 2014-2016 Data

The Maquoketa River carries some of the highest sediment and nutrient loads in the Upper Mississippi River, contributing to eutrophication and hypoxic conditions in the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico. Floodplains provide the ability to remove and sequester, sediments, nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon; however effectiveness of floodplains is limited by the extent and connection of the floodplain to the river. The confluence of the Maquoketa and Mississippi Rivers presents a unique study location because the delta at the confluence is heavily managed by a State-Federal-NGO partnership that has already taken action focusing on evaluating the impact of increased connectivity on numerous ecosystem services, including water quality [...]