Section 2.6: Exercises
1. Using Google Earth©, look at the Poverty Point archaeological site in West Carroll Parish, Louisiana (hint: you can search for “poverty point”). Where is the archaeological site located on the Mississippi River floodplain? What evidence do you see of the movement of the Mississippi River channel in the past? What effects do you think this might have had on the location of the Poverty Point site?
2. Using Google Earth©, compare the Mississippi River as it passes through Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and Port Sulphur. What differences in the levee systems at these three locations can you find? What explanations can you think of for why these places are so different from one another?
3. Using Google Earth©, look at the Mississippi River channel in the Southwest Pass of the Birdfood Delta (hint: you can search for “southwest pass plaquemines parish”). Find the jetties that extend from the bank into the channel of the river. What are the differences between the color of the water in the center of the channel versus the water behind the jetties? What might this color difference indicate?
4. Using Google Earth©, zoom in on the city Port Sulphur in Plaquemines Parish. Find the levees on the Mississippi River and the back levees against the adjacent wetlands. What are the differences between the land protected by the levee system and the batture (i.e. the land outside the levee system)?
5. Using Google Earth©, look at the wetlands to the west of Port Sulphur. How many canals can you find in these wetlands? Can you see evidence of a relationship between these canals and patterns of coastal erosion?