GOM - As Mississippi River levels swing between historic highs and lows, shipping industry grapples with how to adapt
The river has reached near-historic lows amid extreme drought in much of the basin for the second year in a row, which is slowing down shipping and driving up costs for everyone from barge companies to grain elevators. The whole industry is grappling with how to adapt to an increasingly chronic problem.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — On a typical day, Pete Ciaramitaro monitors towboats from his Memphis office as they carry cargo up and down the Mississippi River.
Ciaramitaro is the director of river operations for the shipping company Southern Devall, which transports chemicals and fertilizers along the Mississippi River.
He advises captains on how to safely navigate river conditions, warning them of traffic and other obstacles ahead, which can vary greatly along the waterway.
But right now, there’s one consistent condition along the length of the river: drought.
The river has reached near-historic lows for the second year in a row, which is slowing down shipping and driving up costs for everyone from barge companies to grain elevators.
In some places, last year was the lowest the Mississippi River had fallen in nearly 35 years. Much of the basin is experiencing extreme drought again this year.
“Unfortunately, we are watching a movie sequel that none of us want to watch,” said Mike Steenhoek, executive director of the Soy Transportation Coalition.
What once may have seemed unbelievable is becoming more frequent on America’s watery superhighway — and it’s happening even earlier this year.
“With climate change, it looks like it’s going to be an annual thing now,” Ciaramitaro said.
A crucial moment for exports
Speed is always critical in the shipping industry, but these low water conditions have come at a particularly inopportune time of year: harvest season.
“It’s the worst possible time to be dealing with a bottleneck,” said Jennifer Carpenter, president and CEO of the American Waterways Operators, an advocacy group for the shipping industry.
Just as farmers are starting to harvest crops like corn and soybeans, the barge companies tasked with carrying their products downriver for global export are up against low water.
About 60% of the country’s grain exports are shipped down the Mississippi River, but the water has to be at least 9 feet deep for vessels to travel safely.
Otherwise, they can run aground on sandbars and cause a traffic jam, like last fall, when more than 2,000 barges were at a standstill.
Carpenter said grappling with weather and climate is par for the course in her industry, but more frequent swings between high and low river conditions are undeniable.
“We have to assume that’s the new normal,” Carpenter said. “If the same thing were to happen next year, how would we be better prepared?”
The whole industry is grappling with that question.
A changing river
The Mississippi River drains 40% of the country, spanning more than a million square miles, so drought anywhere in that footprint can lead to downriver impacts.
Back-to-back years of extreme drought supports what research suggests:climate change is making both floods and droughts more common and more intense.
Current drought is a stark contrast to the upper river just a few months ago, when near-historic flooding shut down several locks and dams, and barges couldn’t transport cargo.
Higher temperatures increase evaporation, causing drought, but warm air can also hold more moisture, leading to heavy downpours.
