Geography Of The World
How Big The Great Plains Is Compared To All Of Western Europe
The Great Plains could fit Western Europe twice with room for Texas. See how this vast region compares with European countries, from France to Austria.
Why Lake Powell Has More Shoreline Than The California Coast
Lake Powell has nearly 2,000 miles of shoreline, more than double California’s coast. How a desert reservoir’s drowned side canyons out-measure the Pacific.
How Many Feet Lake Mead Has Dropped Since 2000
Lake Mead has fallen 176.5 feet since 2000, but it gained 46.6 feet in 2011 alone. The decline is a staircase with landings, not a straight line
The US Lakes With The Most Copperheads
Copperheads are not water snakes, but Lake Hartwell has 962 miles of wooded shoreline. The US lakes with the most, and why reservoirs specifically.
The Largest Marine Sanctuary In America
Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands covers 582,570 square miles and is the largest marine sanctuary in America.
The US Dams Still Generating Power After More Than 100 Years
From Keokuk, Iowa to Wilson Dam, Alabama, century-old US hydroelectric plants still power the grid from their original dams and powerhouses.
The US Lakes Where Alligator Gar Have Been Caught
Alligator gar over 300 pounds have surfaced from Southern US lakes, from Mississippi's Lake Chotard to Texas waters like Sam Rayburn and Lake Texoma.
Why The Pacific Coast Has Almost No Barrier Islands
The U.S. Pacific Coast is too steep, with too narrow a shelf, for barrier islands; beach sand sinks into Monterey Canyon or builds spits like Dungeness.
The Longest Ferry Ride In The United States
The Longest Ferry Ride In The United States runs between Bellingham and Skagway on the Alaska Marine Highway, a days-long voyage past fjords and remote towns.
The Rogue Waves That Have Hit American Ships
Rogue waves hit American ships in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Gulf of Alaska, sinking Coast Guard cutters and fishing boats and nearly capsizing a troopship.
The US Dams With Unexpected New Uses
Five US dams built for drinking water, mine debris, or navigation now block invasive carp, make power, and hold recreational lakes from Minnesota to Maryland.
What Changes Now That The Colorado River Agreements Have Expired
The Colorado River’s 2007 agreements are expiring and the seven states couldn’t agree on a replacement, so the federal government imposed its own. What changes now.
The US Dams Where Water Travels Through A Mountain To Get Out
Across Tennessee, North Carolina and Colorado, these American dams route water through mountain tunnels to powerhouses and even other river systems.
The American Rivers That Change Color
More than 200 Arctic watersheds have turned orange in about a decade, some at a pH of 2.6. Why American rivers change color, from permafrost to tannins to travertine
The Rivers With The Most Islands In America
The St. Lawrence, Susquehanna, Penobscot, and Allegheny rivers hold the most islands in America, from the 1,864 Thousand Islands to Maine tribal lands.
The US Aquifers Being Drained Fastest
Pumping is outpacing recharge under California's San Joaquin and Cuyama valleys, three Arizona basins, the High Plains, and Arkansas's rice country.
How Long America's Rivers Are Compared To The Nile
The Mississippi runs about 57% of the Nile's length, and the Missouri-Mississippi nearly 90%, with the Yukon, Rio Grande, Colorado, and Columbia even shorter.
The US Lakes Where Boat Ramps Have Gone Dry
At Lake Mead, Lake Powell, Canyon Lake and other US reservoirs, falling water has stranded concrete boat ramps, forcing closures and temporary launch mats.
Why The Atlantic Is Saltier Than The Pacific
The Atlantic leaks fresh water to the Pacific through the sky, across 80 kilometers of Panama, at a rate greater than the Amazon. Why one ocean is saltier.
How Deep Whales Can Actually Dive
How Deep Whales Can Actually Dive. Cuvier's beaked whales hold the mammal records, plunging nearly two miles and staying under for more than three hours.
How Old The Ocean Actually Is
How Old The Ocean Actually Is. Ancient zircon crystals suggest liquid water existed soon after Earth formed, making the ocean nearly as old as the planet.
The Strongest Current In American Waters
Deception Pass runs at eight knots, twice the Gulf Stream. But the Gulf Stream carries more water than every river on Earth. Two answers, opposite coasts.
The US Harbors Deep Enough For The Largest Ships
Los Angeles, Long Beach, Norfolk and Charleston harbors have been dredged to 50 feet or more, deep enough for container ships of more than 23,000 TEUs.
The Year The Mississippi Hit Its Lowest Level Ever
The Mississippi River hit a record low at Memphis in October 2023 after drought and heat, disrupting barges and pushing saltwater toward New Orleans.
The Deepest Blue Hole In American Waters
The Deepest Blue Hole In American Waters may be Green Banana, a deep Gulf sinkhole whose flushing water and nighttime chlorophyll spike puzzle scientists.
The Coldest Point In American Waters
The coldest water in America is the Arctic Ocean off Alaska, below fresh water’s freezing point yet still liquid. Why salt keeps it from icing, and the Bering cold pool.
How Big Texas Is Compared To Europe's Largest Countries
Texas is larger than nearly every country in Europe. Its 268,597 square miles stack up against Europe’s biggest nations in surprising ways.
The Most Snake Infested Rivers In Tennessee
Tennessee rivers like the Mississippi, Hatchie, Wolf, and Duck see cottonmouths, northern water snakes, queen snakes, and the odd swimming timber rattlesnake.
The American Dams In The Worst Condition
Lake Hodges, El Capitan, and Anderson in California, Livingston in Texas, and Guajataca in Puerto Rico: the US dams rated poor or unsatisfactory and why.
The Busiest Cargo Rivers In America
Grain, coal, crude and containers move by the hundreds of millions of tons on these waterways. See which US rivers carry the most cargo and how they do it.
The Deepest Point Off The East Coast
Explore Brownson Deep, the Atlantic’s deepest point, more than five miles below the surface in the Puerto Rico Trench north of Puerto Rico.
How Many Seas Are There In The World?
Counting the world's seas is harder than it sounds. Some lie inside other seas, one has no shoreline at all, and a few of the most famous are lakes.
What Would We Find If We Drained The Oceans
Drain Earth's oceans and the Bering land bridge, the abyssal plains and the Mariana Trench are what the seafloor leaves behind.
The Coldest Rivers in North America
The Coldest Rivers in North America include the Yukon, Mackenzie, and Copper, where glaciers, permafrost, and subarctic winters keep the water near freezing.
How Much Power Hoover Dam Loses For Every Foot Lake Mead Drops
Detailed view of the Hoover Dam intake towers standing above the Colorado River, showing water levels and surrounding rocky desert terrain
What Happens If The Mississippi River Locks Shut Down
What a Mississippi River lock shutdown near St. Louis does to grain prices, fertilizer deliveries, and barge traffic, and why the river keeps flowing anyway.
The American Levees Protecting The Most People
The East Coast Protective Levee in Florida shields over 3 million people, more than any other US levee system. See the 14 systems protecting 200,000 or more.
The States Where You Don't Own The Water Under Your Land
Land ownership varies by state. In many states, if you happen to own land with water under it, you may not actually own that water.
The American Rivers With The Most Waterfalls
Seven US rivers pack five or six waterfalls into a few miles, from the Horsepasture in North Carolina to the Genesee in New York and Gooseberry in Minnesota.
The Most Snake Infested Rivers In Michigan
Michigan's Au Sable, Muskegon, Huron, and Detroit Rivers support northern water snakes, garter snakes, queen snakes, and the state's only venomous species.