The Ohio River: a description, the nature of the current

The largest full-flowing left tributary of the Mississippi River is the Ohio River, which carries its waters in the east of the United States. Before we give it a description, we will consider what the ponds of North America are and briefly represent the territory through which Ohio flows.

General information on the rivers of North America

All the reservoirs of North America belong to the territory of the basins of the three oceans: the Arctic, the Pacific, and the Atlantic. The main watershed is shifted to the Pacific Ocean (to the west), which receives much less fresh water from the continent than the Atlantic. In North America, the area of internal flow is insignificant, and it occupies only a certain part of the Great Basin and a small zone of the north of the Mexican Highlands.

The rivers of North America are divided into three types by source of food: ground, glacial, snow and rain. The Ohio River (the Mississippi tributary) is characterized by a mixed appearance.

Ohio State: Geography

There is a river in the Midwest of the USA. The area of the territory is more than 116 thousand square kilometers, which puts the region among all the states on the 34th place.

It borders the state in the north with Canada, in the east - with Pennsylvania, in the southeast - with West Virginia, in the south, west and north-west, respectively, with the states of Kentucky, Indiana and Michigan. The river of the same name runs along the southern border of the state. One of the greatest lakes in America called Erie is located on the northern border.

On the northern territory of the state (along Lake Erie) extends the coastal lowland. The north-western part of it is occupied by the region, which is called the "Big Black Marsh". Once upon a century and a half these places represented the most extensive wetlands, alternating with small dry islands of earth. Now, thanks to an increase in the number of settlers in these territories, the land is almost completely drained and turned into fertile agricultural land.

The southern part is occupied by the Allegheny plateau (Alleghene), which is part of the Appalachian mountain range. It is excised by the channels of numerous rivers. The largest of these is the Ohio River (the tributary of the Mississippi).

To the east, the hills of the plateau gradually move into the mountains of West Virginia. On the south-eastern hills, covered with forests, there are natural parks of the State of Ohio, among which the most popular is the "Hawking-Hills".

Description of the Ohio River

The area of the river basin is 528,100 sq. M. Kilometers. Large floods are observed during the cold period of the year, low low water in summer and in autumn with a minimum in the interval from August to September.

The Ohio River originates near Pittsburgh, where the rivers of Monongahil and Allegheny, which flow from the Appalachian Mountains, merge. The length of the river is 1579 km. The total length along with Allegheny is 2,102 kilometers. On the Appalachian plateau, the river flows to the city of Louisville, Ohio, then its channel runs along the Central Plains.

On the banks of the Ohio River, there are many major cities, the largest of which are the following: Huntington, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Portsmouth, Louisville, Covington, Evansville, Wheeling and Metropolis.

Hydrology

The Ohio River, as noted above, has a mixed diet. Near the city of Metropolis, the average water flow is about 8,000 cubic meters. Per second, and the annual run-off is approximately 250 cubic km.

The largest water rises in Pittsburgh reach 10-12 meters, Cincinnati - from 17 to 20 meters, at the mouth of the river - 14-16 meters. Often there are floods, especially the catastrophic nature they had in 1887, 1913, 1927 and in 1937.

Unfortunately, the waters of the river are heavily polluted by industrial wastewater of numerous enterprises located on the shore of the reservoir.

The tributaries and nature of the Ohio River

The largest of its tributaries (the left) - p. Tennessee. It is formed by a confluence near the city of Knoxville, the rivers Holston and French Brod. The right major tributaries: Miami, Maskingham (Maskingum), Saito, Wabash. The remaining largest left tributaries are: Licking, Kentucky, Salt, Canowa, Gayandotte.

The rivers Allegheny and Monongahela, forming the Ohio River, originate in the Appalachian mountains. Prior to the city of Louisville, the reservoir flows through the Appalachian plateau, and then through the Central Plains.

Shipping

The Ohio River is navigable throughout (2.7 meters is the guaranteed depth of the ship's run). In order to provide depth for the passage of vessels on the river, several hydraulic power stations have been built.

Approximately 4000 kilometers is the total length of navigable waterways in the river basin. The city of Louisville built several channels to bypass existing in these places rapids. Also in the basin of the river there are large hydroelectric power stations. Most of them are located on the river Tennessee.

Conclusion

It should be noted in conclusion that a bridge was built across the river in 1928, connecting the city of Gallipolis, Ohio with the Point Pleasant of West Virginia.

And a curious fact is that the Asteroid (439) Ohio, discovered in 1898, was named after the river.