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Environment & Energy

Botany

(75,442 posts)

13. One of the problems might be non native bivalves... shell fish such as mussels .. that causes phosphorus to

Reply to NickB79 (Original post)

Sat Oct 4, 2025, 02:57 PM

3 hrs ago

become a bigger component of the lakes’ ecosystems and that P feeds the algae which in time
causes algae blooms that then cause O2 deprivation in the water and the system crashes from
there. I don’t know if that is the case in Lake Itasca but it is the case in the western basin of Lake
Erie.

Another problem is that we are killing the earth with fossil fuels too.

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Highlight:

Something is wrong with Lake Itasca, the source of the Mississippi River [View all] NickB79 5 hrs ago OP

Why don't they just follow Trump's train of reasoning and nuke the lake? John1956PA 5 hrs ago #1

Or sweep the forest. 2naSalit 4 hrs ago #3

The not so funny thing is Mblaze 4 hrs ago #7

How does that huge river start here? viva la 4 hrs ago #2

Lake Superior's waters flow toward the Atlantic through the other Great Lakes and then the St. Lawrence River. Mister Ed 4 hrs ago #4

Yes, the tracing rivers upstream can be interesting. John1956PA 4 hrs ago #5

Ah! Then maybe it's just a more or less an arbitrary decision on the part of mapmakers. Mister Ed 4 hrs ago #6

I think the historic names of the rivers are always honored. John1956PA 3 hrs ago #9

But it all flows...... lastlib 2 hrs ago #15

Well SOME names aren't always honored by SOME people. Beartracks 2 hrs ago #17

The different criteria for measuring rivers gets things convoluted BaronChocula 3 hrs ago #10

In addition to some other good explanations, there is the matter of old names established before known characteristics. erronis 3 hrs ago #8

Just call them all America River or Trump river to get instant approval. GreenWave 3 hrs ago #11

It's a rite of passage for MN kids to walk across the headwaters NickB79 43 min ago #20

My heart hurts Lulu KC 3 hrs ago #12

One of the problems might be non native bivalves... shell fish such as mussels .. that causes phosphorus to Botany 3 hrs ago #13

Seems unlikely. Erie gets ocean going vessels from the Atlantic... Wounded Bear 2 hrs ago #16

All it takes is one boat that was in the Great Lakes and not cleaned off underneath and or a shore or Botany 1 hr ago #18

Zebra mussels haven't been found in Itasca. Yet NickB79 46 min ago #19

I remember reading many years ago, that the creeks and streams of lower Ontario FakeNoose 2 hrs ago #14