This map displays data from HydroSHEDS, a database that combines multiple types of geographic and environmental data within watersheds.
Briefly describe watersheds and basins
This map shows eight different levels of the hydrological basins that the Mississippi river impacts. Or watersheds that flow into the Mississippi river.
How to use the site: Pan, zoom, and click on the map to view different levels of hydrology.
A watershed is a land area that channels rainfall and snowmelt to creeks, streams, and rivers, and eventually to outflow points such as reservoirs, bays, and the ocean. Several scales, known as Hydrological United Codes (HUCs) define the size of a watershed relative to its area. It can range from small lakes and streams to massive rivers, such as the Missouri, Ohio, or Mighty Mississippi rivers.
The values in this map range from 1-8. Level 1 shows the broadest, most general hydrological basin - in this case, the global hydroshed, while Level 8 features the most broken-down, in-depth watersheds. These smallest watersheds exist at the local level, and we see how they flow into the Mississippi river. The attirbute-dependent color scheme ranges from 0-35 to greater than 314. Key attributes related to the watershed include Total upstream area, Natural Discharge, Elevation, and others.
Downloadable technical documents describing hydroSHEDS can be found on their website, or here for reference:
To learn more about rivers, basins, watershed, hydrology, and more - check out the following websites:
Created by:
Data Sources:
HydroSHEDS Global Watershed Database
Created with:
Leaflet JavaScript Library
And associated plugins: