Lower Mississippi River Environmental Program. Report 8. Ecological Features of Eddies Associated with Revetments in the Lower Mississippi River
1988
Zimpfer, Steven P. | Kelso, William E. | Bryan, C. F. | Pennington, C. H.
A study was conducted from late April through mid-July 1985 to evaluate habitat quality of revetment eddies in the Lower Mississippi River. Sites were established at three locations: river miles 372 (Natchez, Mississippi), 192 (White Castle, Louisiana), and 35 (Port Sulphur, Louisiana). At White Castle, samples were taken a 3-week intervals throughout the study. The Port Sulphur and Natchez sites were visited once in large May/early June. The White Castle eddy was a persistent feature of the river's hydrology. Flow rates were slower in the eddy, and upstream currents were always present at one or more nearshore stations. Variation in current speed and direction was greatest at the eddy's periphery. The Port Sulphur and Natchez eddies were less well defined, and current directions within the eddies were variable. Most water quality perameters were not significantly different between microhabitats. Drifting insects, particularly dipterans, were most abundant in the mainstream at high currents in April and May regardless of diel period. Zooplankton densities were highest during April when adjacent floodplains were inundated, declining with decreasing river stage. Larval fish abundance was not significantly related to habitat or current speed.
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