Cables used to keep the river bank from sliding into the Mississippi river are seen exposed after the river levels dropped to low levels, as cargo ships anchor in the Mississippi river as they wait for clearance to navigate up the river, near New Orleans, Louisiana on October 16, 2023. For the second straight year this largest North American river has sunken to record low levels amid ongoing drought, leaving the majestic Mississippi as a mere shadow of its former self. From the Great Lakes in the north to Louisiana in the south, plants are taking over newly exposed river banks. Salt water has replaced fresh water near the Gulf of Mexico. And farmers dependent on the river to ship their products have watched with frustration as the flow of river traffic has seized up. The volume of grain shipped on the Mississippi has dropped by half from the average of the past three years, according to the US Department of Agriculture. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)