Flood control engineering has probably prevented flooding in Mississippi and Louisiana , according to new research . The study draws on 500 years ’ worth of data based on tree rings and oxbow lake sediment and concludes that the Mississippi River has flooded more frequently over the past 150 years than during any previous period . Such work isn’t possible on the upper Mississippi, where locks and dams have permanently submerged oxbow lakes, he said. Although climate change may be responsible for 25 % of the increase , engineering , including the construction of levees and straight navigation channels , has probably prevented the remaining 75 % .
Flood control engineering has probably prevented flooding in Mississippi and Louisiana , according to new research . The study draws on 500 years ’ worth of data based on tree rings and oxbow lake sediment and concludes that the Mississippi River has flooded more frequently over the past 150 years than during any previous period . Although climate change may be responsible for 25 % of the increase , engineering , including the construction of levees and straight navigation channels , has probably prevented the remaining 75 % .