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  Image: Geographic Location Direction Photo #: ISS012-E-15035 Date: Jan. 2006
Geographic Region: USA-ILLINOIS
Feature: CAIRO, MISSISSIPPI R., OHIO R.

Ordering information for space photography
 
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  View Low-Resolution Image  
  Confluence of Ohio and Mississippi Rivers at Cairo, IL

The Ohio River becomes a tributary of the Mississippi River directly south of Cairo, Illinois, a small city on the spit of land where the rivers converge (at center of this astronaut photograph). Brown, sediment-laden water flowing generally northeast to south from the Ohio River is distinct from the green and relatively sediment-poor water of the Mississippi River (flowing northwest to south). The color of the rivers in this image is reversed from the usual condition of a green Ohio and a brown Mississippi. This suggests that the very high rainfall in December 2005 over the Appalachians and the northeastern United States has led to greater-than-normal amounts of sediment in the rivers and streams of the Ohio River watershed. The distinct boundary between the two river's waters indicates that little to no mixing occurs even 5-6 kilometers (3-4 miles) downstream.

Cairo became a prosperous port following the Civil War due to increased riverboat and railroad commerce. Small features visible in the image on the Ohio are river barges, which indicate the continued importance of Cairo as a transport hub. Flooding of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers presents a continual danger to the city; this danger is lessened by the Birds Point-New Madrid Floodway that begins directly to the south of the river confluence. During major flood events, the floodway lessens flood stages upstream (such as at Cairo) and adjacent to the floodway. Part of the extensive levee system associated with flood control of the Mississippi River is visible in the image. Barlow Bottoms (image right), located in adjacent Kentucky, is a wetland bird-watching location that is replenished by periodic floods and releases of Ohio River water.

 
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Images: All Available Images Low-Resolution 330k
Mission: ISS012  
Roll - Frame: E - 15035
Geographical Name: USA-ILLINOIS  
Features: CAIRO, MISSISSIPPI R., OHIO R.  
Center Lat x Lon: 37.0N x 89.2W
Film Exposure:   N=Normal exposure, U=Under exposed, O=Over exposed, F=out of Focus
Percentage of Cloud Cover-CLDP: 10
 
Camera: E4
 
Camera Tilt: 17   LO=Low Oblique, HO=High Oblique, NV=Near Vertical
Camera Focal Length: 400  
 
Nadir to Photo Center Direction: W   The direction from the nadir to the center point, N=North, S=South, E=East, W=West
Stereo?:   Y=Yes there is an adjacent picture of the same area, N=No there isn't
Orbit Number: 867  
 
Date: 20060112   YYYYMMDD
Time: 183803   GMT HHMMSS
Nadir Lat: 37.2N  
Latitude of suborbital point of spacecraft
Nadir Lon: 88.3W  
Longitude of suborbital point of spacecraft
Sun Azimuth: 190   Clockwise angle in degrees from north to the sun measured at the nadir point
Space Craft Altitude: 185   nautical miles
Sun Elevation: 31   Angle in degrees between the horizon and the sun, measured at the nadir point
Land Views:  
Water Views: FLOODING, RIVER, SEDIMENT  
Atmosphere Views:  
Man Made Views: PORT  
City Views: CAIRO, MADRID  
Photo is not associated with any sequences


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