U.S. Geological Survey Mississippi River Science Forum—Summary Of Data And Science Needs And Next Steps
Abstract
The U.S. Geological Survey hosted a Mississippi River Science Forum with Federal agencies; Tribal, State, and local governments located in States that border the Mississippi River; academia; and other interested stakeholders. The purpose of the forum was to share current (2023) science; identify data gaps and areas of concern; and to prioritize next steps needed to advance the goals of improving water qual-ity, restoring habitat and natural systems, improving naviga-tion, eliminating aquatic invasive species, and building local resilience to natural disasters along the Mississippi River. The forum was a directive for the U.S. Geological Survey in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022 (Public Law 117—103, 136 Stat. 49).
Participants and stakeholders that attended the Mississippi River Science Forum indicated the following. • A Mississippi River Science Committee could bring together the voices of all stakeholders, including Federal agencies; State, local, and Tribal governments; academia; nongovernmental organizations; business and industry; and other interested parties. This committee would also work with (but not replace) Mississippi River Basin entities already in place and establish effective communication to identify and address Basin-wide management needs and to develop holistic solutions for those needs. • A Mississippi River science plan could expand on the science and data gaps identified by the Forum. This plan could guide data collection and help resource managers develop and implement restoration initiatives within the Basin, recognizing that addressing these needs will require substantial resources. • The science committee, working with other entities in the basin, should develop data standards for the Mississippi River Basin that allow stakeholders to utilize comparable data to address their needs. These standards would include data findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability.
This report highlights data gaps and areas of concern dis-cussed during the forum, and it identifies needs to advance the goals of improving water quality, restoring habitat and natural systems, improving navigation, eliminating aquatic invasive species, and building local resilience to natural disasters with specific emphasis on data collection and measurement, and scientific investigation. The report also summarizes stake-holder input and feedback and outlines next steps identified by forum participants.
Recommended Citation
J. C. Nelson and R. A. Rebich and K. J. Jankowski and T. M. Edwards and J. H. Larson and D. M. Robertson and L. A. Sprague and S. M. Stackpoole and K. M. Summers and P. J. Cinotto and P. H. Rydlund and C. J. Churchill and W. M. Daniel and O. P. McKenna and B. A. Middleton and J. Carter and S. B. Hartley and J. W. Frey and K. L. Warner, "U.S. Geological Survey Mississippi River Science Forum—Summary Of Data And Science Needs And Next Steps," US Geological Survey Open File Report 2024-1053, vol. 2024, U.S. Geological Survey, Jan 2024.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20241053
Department(s)
Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering
Publication Status
Public Domain
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
2331-1258; 0196-1497
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2026 U.S. Geological Survey, All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Jan 2024
Comments
University of Oklahoma, Grant None.
Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted materials contained within this report.
Recommended Citation: Nelson, J.C., Rebich, R.A., Jankowski, K., Edwards, T.M., Larson, J.H., Robertson, D.M., Sprague, L.A., Stackpoole, S.M., Summers, K.M., Cinotto, P.J., Rydlund, P.H., Churchill, C.J., Daniel, W.M., Mckenna, O.P., Middleton, B.A., Carter, J., Hartley, S.B., Frey, J.W., and Warner, K.L., 2024, U.S. Geological Survey Mississippi River Science Forum— Summary of data and science needs and next steps: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2024–1053, 4 p., https://doi.org/ 10.3133/ ofr20241053.