Geography Of The World
The US Coastal Highways Most At Risk From Rising Seas
The US Coastal Highways Most At Risk From Rising Seas include NC 12 on the Outer Banks, where the state finally moved the road out over the water.
The Year The Colorado Filled The Salton Sea By Accident
California's Salton Sea was created by accident in 1905, when the Colorado River broke through an irrigation canal and flooded a dry desert basin for two years.
The US Rivers With The Most Rattlesnakes Along Their Banks
Rattlesnakes share the banks of the Rio Grande in Big Bend, the Deschutes in Oregon, and the Mississippi in Minnesota, and the species changes by region.
How Crater Lake Holds More Water Than Lake Okeechobee Despite Being Smaller
Lake Okeechobee is about 36 times larger than Crater Lake, yet Oregon's Crater Lake holds nearly five times as much water. Here is why depth matters.
The Smallest Freighter Still Working The Great Lakes
MV Tamarack, a 403-foot cement carrier that entered service in 2025, is the shortest freighter on the Great Lakes, 116 feet shorter than the steamer Alpena.
The Rivers Where Striped Bass Run Farthest Upstream
Striped bass leave the sea each spring and run far up the Delaware, Hudson, Roanoke, and Potomac rivers, some reaching dams over 200 river miles inland.
How Lake Nicaragua Compares To The Great Lakes
Lake Nicaragua loses to every Great Lake on every measurement. It wins exactly one category and it is the one people care about, because it has sharks.
The US Lakes Where Piranhas Have Been Caught
A single piranha in an American lake could lead to a drastic response, but the catches raise an even stranger question about how those fish got there.
How Tall Hoover Dam Is Compared To The Empire State Building
Hoover Dam is 726 feet tall. The Empire State Building is 1,454. One is almost exactly half the other, and both built by men out of work in the same decade.
The Most Polluted Bay In America
A factory that made Agent Orange dumped dioxin into the river roughly every other week. Forty years and 1.3 billion dollars later Newark Bay is still a Superfund site.
What Happens To Page If Lake Powell Hits Dead Pool
At dead pool, Page, Arizona, would lose its boat ramps, hydropower from Glen Canyon Dam and released water at Horseshoe Bend, but its taps would keep running.
Why Some Rivers Cut Straight Through Mountains
Rivers are a powerful force which essentially never ceases. Over time, they can carve massive channels through seemingly solid rock.
The Largest Bay In The United States
Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the US at 4,480 square miles and the answer most people mean by the largest bay, though Alaska’s Cook Inlet is bigger by area.
The American Mountains With The Most Copperheads
Copperheads in Virginia's Blue Ridge, the Smokies, Missouri's Ozarks, New York's Hudson Highlands, and Connecticut favor rocky slopes and woodland edges.
Most Alligator Filled Rivers In Georgia
The Altamaha, Satilla, St. Marys, Suwannee and Ogeechee all run through Georgia gator country, and each has a park or trail where you can watch from dry land.
Why Some American Rivers Have No Mouth
In the American West's Great Basin, rivers such as the Humboldt and Amargosa never reach an ocean, vanishing into desert sinks, dry air, and volcanic rock.
Why Great Lakes Freighters Have Their Bridge At The Front
Great Lakes freighters kept the pilothouse at the bow from the 1869 R.J. Hackett to the last laker in 1974, a layout still preserved at lakeside museums.
How Big Lake Erie Is Compared To Wales
Lake Erie covers about 9,910 square miles, roughly 24% bigger than all of Wales. Why the shallowest, smallest Great Lake still swallows a whole country.
The US Rivers Where River Otters Have Come Back
The US Rivers Where River Otters Have Come Back include Colorado’s Gunnison, site of the nation’s first otter release, and Pennsylvania’s Youghiogheny.
Where Bull Sharks Go In The Winter
In winter, bull sharks gather in warm coastal waters from the Gulf of Mexico and Florida to Mexico's Sea of Cortez and the coast of Mozambique.
The American Mountains Where Snakebites Happen Most Often
The American Mountains Where Snakebites Happen Most Often include North Carolina’s Blue Ridge, where well-hidden copperheads cause most of the state’s bites.
What Happens To Palm Springs If Lake Mead Hits Dead Pool
Palm Springs draws its tap water from wells refilled with Lake Mead water. At dead pool, its Whitewater recharge basins and Coachella Canal would feel it first.
The Last Major Undammed River In The Lower 48
The Yellowstone River runs 671 mi from Wyoming to the Missouri with no big dam on its main channel, yet a diversion dam in eastern Montana still blocks fish.
Where Great Lakes Freighters Spend The Winter
When the Soo Locks close in January, Great Lakes freighters spend winter at shipyards and docks from Sturgeon Bay to Sarnia. Here is where the lakers lay up.
Where Water Moccasins Go In The Winter
Water moccasins spend winter in animal burrows, stump holes, and bluff crevices, and in southern Illinois they cross Snake Road to reach shelter.
Where Frogs Go When Ponds Freeze
As ponds freeze and the croaking stops, frogs survive in unexpected ways, breathing beneath the ice or enduring winter with their hearts stopped.
How Big Lake Michigan Is Compared To Switzerland
Lake Michigan covers about 22,400 square miles, making it roughly 40% bigger than all of Switzerland. You could sink the whole country in it with room to spare.
The Oldest Shipwreck Ever Found In American Waters
Coming to America by sea is nothing new. Ships have been coming here long before the country's modern borders were drawn. Here is America's oldest shipwreck.
The Largest Whirlpool In American Waters
Old Sow, between Eastport, Maine, and Deer Island, New Brunswick, is a tidal whirlpool over 250 feet across that churns up nutrients for fish and seabirds.
The 10 Tallest Mountains In New York
Mount Marcy tops New York's 10 tallest mountains, a set of Adirondack summits that includes Algonquin Peak, Olympic-era Whiteface, and remote Basin Mountain.
The Longest River Entirely In One State In The Lower 48
Texas’s Colorado River runs 862 miles without crossing a state line, the longest such course in the Lower 48, from West Texas to Matagorda Bay.
The 10 Tallest Mountains In The Adirondacks
The Adirondacks' 10 tallest mountains combine ancient geology, challenging hikes, alpine summits, and fascinating historical landmarks.
6 Most Snake Infested Rivers In Arizona
Grand Canyon rattlesnakes along the Colorado, gartersnakes in Tavasci Marsh on the Verde, and diamondbacks on Planet Ranch Road live along six Arizona rivers.
What Happens To The Navajo Nation If Lake Powell Keeps Dropping
Falling Lake Powell levels threaten affordable power for the Navajo Nation and complicate plans to bring running water to more communities.
The 10 Tallest Mountains In Hawaii
Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa top Hawaii's 10 tallest mountains, a list that also takes in Haleakalā on Maui and remote rainforest summits on Kauai and Molokai.
The Rare US Mountain Ranges That Runs East To West
Utah's Uinta Mountains are often called the only major US range running east to west, but California's Transverse Ranges and the Ouachitas also qualify.
The Largest Squid Ever Found Off The US Coast
The Largest Squid Ever Found Off The US Coast was a giant squid stranded on Plum Island, Massachusetts, still the biggest documented in American waters.
What Happens To St. Louis If The Missouri And Mississippi Flood Together
When the Missouri and Mississippi flood together, St. Louis floods unevenly. Here is how the 1993 crest tested the city’s floodwall, levees, and defenses.
How Long A Great Lakes Freighter Is Compared To The Empire State Building
Stood on end, the 1,013.5-foot Paul R. Tregurtha would stop 36.5 feet below the Empire State Building’s 86th-floor deck and span nearly four Manhattan blocks.
Why The Colorado Runs Red And The Green Runs Green
In Utah’s Canyonlands, sediment makes the Colorado run red and the Green run green, and dams like Flaming Gorge and Glen Canyon can flip both colors.