Rivers are essential pathways that join towns and ecosystems. When drought occurs, the amount of water in rivers decrease, making it harder to travel along them and more costly. In 2022, some of the largest rivers in the world, including the Rhine in Europe and the Yangtze in China, experienced the lowest water levels ever recorded. In Memphis, Tennessee the Mississippi River dropped to a level which was so low it stopped the barges from sailing, necessitating dredging and obtaining water from upstream reservoirs to keep passages open. Things on the lower Mississippi River may be getting a bit better as a result of rain during the start of winter. As researchers in Earth sciences at the University of Memphis, the remarkable decrease in water level this year gives us a glimpse into a world affected by climate change. Barges are an efficient form of transporting large quantities of cargo, along with machinery, over extended distances. Only normal water conditions are applicable. Animated mapping of the Mississippi River and the area it drains reveals a substantial decrease in flow as climate change produces greater fluctuations between lows and highs. This means that regular water conditions are no longer the norm, and river navigation could be expected to suffer from further interruptions in the future. Droughts typically start when the amount of rain that is expected does not materialize. Other elements such as temperature, wind, cloudiness, and the type of earth in the area have an impact on how bad droughts get.
