Geography Of The World
Why Rivers Meander Instead Of Running Straight
A river has no reason to curve, yet almost none run straight. The physics of a single bend explains why water loops, and why straightened rivers wander back.
The US Lakes Where Lake Sturgeon Still Survive
Lake sturgeon persist, thanks to stocking and recovery efforts in the Great Lakes and inland lakes of Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and New York.
How Deep Crater Lake Is Compared To The Empire State Building
At 1,949 feet, Oregon's Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the US, deep enough to hide the Empire State Building with hundreds of feet of water to spare.
The Island Ferries That Stop Running For Winter
US island ferries from Beaver Island, Michigan to Alaska's Aleutians shut down for winter on staggered dates, with the final boat set by each operator.
The Longest Mountain Range In The United States
The Rockies run some 3,000 miles from British Columbia to New Mexico, crossing six western states and feeding the Colorado, Rio Grande and Missouri.
The US Coastlines Where Sea Level Is Rising Fastest
The US Coastlines Where Sea Level Is Rising Fastest are in Louisiana, Texas, and Virginia, where sinking land adds to the rising ocean at tide gauges.
What Happens To The Coachella Valley If Lake Mead Hits Dead Pool
Unlike the Imperial Valley, Coachella has a backup. Unlike a real backup, it is already overdrawn by 230,000 acre-feet a year.
What Happens To Miami If The Florida Reef Dies
What Happens To Miami If The Florida Reef Dies? The city would lose a natural seawall against storm waves, plus billions in tourism and fishing.
The Mountain Range That Crosses The Most States
The Appalachians run about 2,000 miles from Alabama and Georgia to Maine and into eastern Canada. Here are the states they cross and how the range formed.
Why Lake Superior Never Gives Up Her Dead
A body floats because bacteria inflate it with gas. Lake Superior’s deep water is too cold for that to happen. The physics behind the Edmund Fitzgerald line
The American Mountains Where Rattlesnakes Den For The Winter
From New York's Adirondacks to Arizona's Chiricahuas, rattlesnakes den through winter in rocky mountain crevices, returning to the same shelters each year.
Why The Mississippi Runs Brown And The Ohio Runs Green
At Cairo, Illinois, the Ohio and Mississippi flow side by side in two colors. Sediment, algae, and upstream rain explain the split and why it can flip.
How Lake Superior Could Cover North And South America In A Foot Of Water
Lake Superior is said to hold enough water to flood North and South America a foot deep. We ran the numbers: it can cover one continent, but not both.
The River That Forms The Longest State Border
The Mississippi River forms hundreds of miles of US state boundaries, including about 581 miles along Illinois. See how a river becomes a state line.
The Highest Underwater Mountain In American Waters
Southeast Hancock Seamount rises about 16,400 ft off the North Pacific floor, making it the tallest fully underwater mountain in American waters.
The Deepest Point Off The California Coast
The Deepest Point Off The California Coast lies at the foot of Davidson Seamount, an underwater volcano far off Monterey, not in famous Monterey Canyon.
The Steepest River In The United States
The Kaweah River in California drops more than two miles from the Sierra to the San Joaquin Valley in just 33.6 miles, giving it Class IV and V whitewater.
The Muddiest River In The United States
The Missouri carries more sediment than any Mississippi tributary, but New Mexico's Rio Puerco runs thicker with 500,000 milligrams a litre.
How Lake Titicaca Compares To The Great Lakes
Lake Titicaca, high in the Andes of Peru and Bolivia, is millions of years older than the Great Lakes and deeper than most of them, despite its smaller size.
The US Waters Where Orcas Live Year-Round
Orcas occur all year in the waters of Alaska, Washington, and California, where Kenai Fjords, the San Juan Islands, Monterey Bay, and Juneau offer boat tours.
Hoover Dam Was Built For 2080 Megawatts, It Now Makes 1300
Hoover Dam was built for 2,080 megawatts but a falling Lake Mead has cut its output sharply. How hydraulic head and drought drained its power.
The Difference Between A Wave And A Swell
The wind can stop, but the waves keep coming, crossing entire oceans as swells before breaking on a sunny shore far from the storm that created them.
8 Most Alligator Filled Rivers In Texas
Explore Texas rivers where alligators live, from East Texas swamps to Gulf Coast wetlands, including habitats known for giant gators.
The Mountains Where Lightning Strikes Most Often In America
Colorado's densest lightning falls near Pikes Peak, not on the state's highest summits. Moisture decides where bolts land across five mountains.
Why Utah Lake Is Fighting To Survive
Utah Lake is the largest freshwater lake in Utah, but runoff, algal blooms, and a failed island-building plan have shaped its reputation. Here is its story.
Why Snakes Are Sometimes Found Frozen In Ice
How snakes end up frozen in pond ice after a winter thaw, why cold water traps them, and how some garter snakes survive brief partial freezing.
Why So Many Big American Cities Were Built On A River
Trade, drinking water, and water power built New Orleans, Louisville, and Minneapolis. Here’s why America’s cities cluster on rivers.
The Rivers Where Sturgeon Grow Largest
12-foot white sturgeon, century-old giants, record catches: a look at the eight North American rivers where sturgeon grow largest, and what their young need.
How The Aral Sea Compares To The Great Lakes
In 1960 the Aral Sea was bigger than Lake Huron. Today it is a third the size of Erie. The same lake went from second place to last in sixty-five years.
The US Rivers With The Most Invasive Fish
Most of the invasive fish overrunning America’s rivers were introduced on purpose. Here’s where silver carp, blue catfish, snakeheads and more took over.
The American Mountains Where You Can See Five States From The Top
These five American mountains are known for multi-state views, including Pikes Peak, Mount Washington, Mount Greylock, and Lookout Mountain.
Why Nobody Agrees How Much Water Lake Powell Loses To Evaporation
Reclamation says 500,000 acre-feet. Its own operating figure says 386,000. Its latest study implies 336,000. Why nobody agrees how much Lake Powell evaporates.
The Oldest Freighter Still Working The Great Lakes
The SS Alpena, a 1942 steamship on the Great Lakes, still hauls cement under steam power after a 1990 rebuild cut 120 feet from its ore-carrier hull.
The Largest Freshwater Spring In America
At Florida's Wakulla Spring, hundreds of millions of gallons rise each day through one underwater opening, fed by miles of flooded limestone passages.
The Most Snake Infested Rivers In New Jersey
The Most Snake Infested Rivers In New Jersey are the Delaware, Raritan, and Passaic, home to water snakes, garter snakes, and ribbon snakes, not cottonmouths.
The Rivers Where Steelhead Grow Largest
A steelhead is a rainbow trout that went to sea and came back a giant. These are the rivers with the biggest ever recorded, from the Columbia to Lake Erie.
How The Yukon Compares To The Mississippi
Two of North America’s longest rivers run nearly the same distance to the sea, yet one is a freight highway and the other still answers to the ice. Here’s why.
How Much Water Niagara Falls Moves Compared To The Mississippi
The Niagara River carries more water than the Mississippi does at St. Louis. The Mississippi does not pull ahead until Kentucky, and Niagara has a tap.
Where The Atlantic Meets The Gulf Of Mexico
Where The Atlantic Meets The Gulf Of Mexico is the Florida Keys, where the Seven Mile Bridge runs along the line, and the Gulf itself is part of the Atlantic.
The 10 Tallest Mountains In Alaska
Alaska's 10 tallest mountains rise in the Alaska Range and the Saint Elias and Wrangell Mountains, with Denali at 20,310 feet and volcanoes like Sanford.