Geography Of The World
The US Rivers Where Bull Sharks Swim Upstream
The US Rivers Where Bull Sharks Swim Upstream include the Mississippi, Potomac, Atchafalaya, and Florida nursery rivers, where young sharks find shelter.
The Largest Animal That Has Ever Lived
The blue whale is the largest animal that has ever lived, with a range that spans from Monterey Bay krill blooms to the Antarctic ice edge.
The Widest Lakes In The United States
The Widest Lakes In The United States. Lake Huron leads, followed by Superior and Michigan, while the Great Salt Lake and Okeechobee close out the list.
The Great Lakes Shipwrecks You Can See From Shore
Several Great Lakes shipwrecks, from the Francisco Morazán off Michigan to a tug's boiler near Kincardine, Ontario, rest in shallows you can see from shore.
The Rivers Where Sturgeon Still Spawn
Eggs on the riverbed, tagged females, and DNA in the young: the hard field evidence that sturgeon still spawn in US rivers, from Maine to California.
The Biggest Waves Ever Recorded Off The US Coast
The Biggest Waves Ever Recorded Off The US Coast include Alaska's Lituya Bay megatsunami, a record wave off Cape Mendocino, and the big surf of Cortes Bank.
How Big Megalodon Actually Was Compared To A Great White
See how megalodon’s latest size estimates compare with the great white, including length, weight, teeth, and bite force.
Where Megalodon Teeth Are Found On American Beaches
Megalodon teeth have turned up on beaches in Florida, Maryland, and the Carolinas, including Caspersen Beach, Calvert Cliffs, and North Topsail Beach.
The Mountains That Are Still Growing
Some mountains are still rising today, pushed upward by tectonic forces even as erosion and melting ice reshape their peaks.
The US Lakes Where Leeches Are Worst
Explore U.S. lakes known for leech encounters, including Minnewaska and Whitefish Lake, and discover why leeches gather near popular swimming spots.
What Happens To Lake Mohave If Lake Mead Hits Dead Pool
Lake Mohave sits just below Hoover Dam and lives off Lake Mead’s releases. If Mead hits dead pool, Mohave drains, taking its marinas and endangered fish with it.
The US Locks That Lift Boats The Highest
John Day Dam on the Columbia River raises boats 113 ft, the highest lift of any US navigation lock and the lead of a chain of Columbia and Snake River locks.
The Most Snake Infested Rivers In The United States
Five U.S. rivers, from the Missouri to the Suwannee, host some of the country's most varied snake communities, venomous and non-venomous alike.
The Difference Between A Gulf And A Bay
Gulfs and bays are both partly enclosed coastal waters, but size, shape, and naming history set them apart, as the Gulf of Mexico and Chesapeake Bay show.
How Long Would It Take To Sink To The Ocean Floor?
Discover how ocean depth, buoyancy, pressure, and body composition affect how quickly a person could sink in deep water.
How The Mississippi Compares To The Nile
Mississippi vs Nile: the Nile is about 1,800 miles longer, yet the Mississippi carries roughly six times the water. Length, basins, flow, and deltas compared.
How Lake Michigan Holds More Water Than Lake Huron Despite Being Smaller
Lake Huron is bigger on a map. Lake Michigan holds 39 percent more water. One number explains it, and it is not maximum depth.
The US Rivers With The Most Water Moccasins
Cottonmouths are a swamp animal that happens to live along rivers. The US rivers with the most, led by the Atchafalaya, and why the margins matter more than the channel.
The Most Dangerous Rip Currents On US Beaches
Rip currents on US beaches kill more than 100 people a year, with deadly clusters at Panama City Beach, Daytona Beach, the Carolinas, and Lake Michigan.
The Most Dammed Rivers In America
The Most Dammed Rivers In America include the Columbia, Colorado, Snake, and Missouri, where dams power cities, water farms, and reshape river ecosystems.
What Happens If Blue Mesa Is Drained To Save Lake Powell
Blue Mesa, Colorado's largest lake, has been drained to prop up Lake Powell. What that does to its record-low water, its marinas, and its famous kokanee salmon.
How The Himalayas Compare To The Rockies
How the Himalayas and Rockies compare in height, length, age, glacier ice, earthquakes, and the rivers they feed, from Everest to the Continental Divide.
The Tribes That Hold the Oldest Colorado River Water Rights In The US
The Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe and San Juan Southern Paiute hold senior Colorado River rights, but four Upper Basin states are blocking their settlement.
The Year The Cuyahoga River Caught Fire
The Year The Cuyahoga River Caught Fire. It was not the river's first fire, but Mayor Carl Stokes turned the blaze into a national push for cleaner water.
What Would Happen If The Atlantic Conveyor Slowed Down
The Atlantic Conveyor is part of the global ocean conveyor belt, in which water moves around the globe over the course of 1000 years.
The US Rivers With The Highest PFAS Levels
Near wastewater outfalls, PFAS ran highest on South Carolina's Pocotaligo among six US rivers tested, measured in river water and not household taps.
The Rivers Where Trout Grow Largest
The Rivers Where Trout Grow Largest. Arkansas tailwaters have produced browns near forty pounds, while steelhead and rainbows grow big on sea time and salmon.
How Deep The Titanic Wreck Actually Sits
The Titanic rests 12,500 feet down in the North Atlantic — crushing depth, but only a third of the way to the ocean's true floor. Here's what that means.
The American Power Plants Built Inside A Mountain
From Tennessee's Raccoon Mountain to Washington's Boundary Dam, several U.S. power plants run their turbines deep inside excavated mountain rock.
How Much Of The Colorado River Mexico Actually Gets
Mexico gets 1.5 million acre-feet of the Colorado River a year under a 1944 treaty, just under 10%. Why nearly all of it is used up before the river reaches the sea.
The US Lakes With The Highest Mercury Levels
The fish look healthy, but EPA tests found the highest mercury levels in these US lakes. See which catches state health officials say to limit or avoid.
Why Some American Rivers Flow North
Several American rivers flow north, from the Red River of the North to Florida's St. Johns, because gravity and each region's geology tip the land that way.
The US Rivers Where Snapping Turtles Grow Largest
The US Rivers Where Snapping Turtles Grow Largest include the Sabine, Suwannee, and Trinity, where wild alligator snappers have topped the hundred-pound mark.
The Ocean Creatures That Can Kill You Without Teeth
Some of the ocean's deadliest animals have no teeth at all, relying instead on venom, paralyzing stings, and a saliva far more potent than cyanide.
Why Great Lakes Freighters Are Shaped Differently Than Ocean Ships
The biggest Great Lakes freighter can never reach the sea, yet a smaller ocean ship sailed thousands of miles inland past it. The hull explains it.
How Lake Nipigon Compares To The Great Lakes
Lake Nipigon is smaller than every Great Lake, yet it's deeper than Erie, sits above Superior, and feeds it. How Ontario's "sixth Great Lake" really compares.
Why Denali Is Harder To Climb Than Everest
Lower summit, harder climb. Thin polar air, 100-pound loads, and rescue that can be days away make Denali a tougher test than Everest for most climbers.
The Most Remote Point In American Waters
Beyond the contiguous United States, numerous American territories allow the country to claim and control vast swathes of ocean.
The Lakes Where Kokanee Salmon Grow Largest
Cold, clear water and few predators turn landlocked sockeye into 9-pound giants. Here are the Western lakes and reservoirs where trophy kokanee thrive.
What Happens If Lake Powell Is Drained To Fill Lake Mead
Fill Mead First has been proposed since the 1990s. What draining Lake Powell into Lake Mead would actually do, and the plumbing problem that matters either way.