Geography Of The World
Lake Mead Lost 192 Feet, Lake Powell Lost 179
Two reservoirs 300 miles apart on the same river have shed the same amount of water. What separates them is what each has left.
Why Hoover Dam’s Concrete Is Still Getting Stronger 90 Years Later
Hoover Dam’s concrete has kept getting stronger for 90 years. Inside the cement chemistry, the river rock, and the hidden pipes behind its staying power.
Where Water Snakes Go When Lakes Freeze
Where northern water snakes go when lakes freeze, from muskrat burrows to dens 1,900 feet inland, and how they return to shore each spring.
The Largest Water Towers In The United States
The largest US water towers by capacity, led by a 4.1-million-gallon Pennsylvania tank and 4-million-gallon towers in Iowa and Arkansas, were built for outages.
The Warmest River In The United States
The Warmest River In The United States is Yellowstone’s Firehole, heated by geysers, while the Rainbow and Rio Grande run warm for other reasons.
How Lake Winnipeg Compares To The Great Lakes
Lake Winnipeg is 29 percent bigger than Lake Ontario and holds a sixth as much water. But it drains more land than all five Great Lakes combined.
The Ferries That Still Carry Cars Across The Great Lakes
From the coal-fired S.S. Badger to icebreaking island runs, these car ferries still haul vehicles across Lake Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Superior.
Which US State Has The Most Fresh Water?
Michigan holds the most freshwater of any US state, about 2,590 cubic miles, more than the other forty-nine states combined thanks to the Great Lakes.
The American Rivers With The Most Alligator Gar
Seven rivers from Texas to Alabama hold America's biggest alligator gar, including the Trinity, Rio Grande, and Mississippi, home of the 327-pound record.
What Happens If Navajo Reservoir Is Drained To Save Lake Powell
It has already been tried. Reclamation named three reservoirs for emergency releases to Lake Powell and took 94 percent from the one in Wyoming. Why Navajo was passed over.
The Tallest Dam Spillway In America
The Tallest Dam Spillway In America belongs to Oroville Dam, whose concrete chute nearly failed under heavy flows and was rebuilt to handle future floods.
The US Lakes Behind America’s White Bass Records
The lakes where white bass grow largest, from Virginia’s world-record Lake Orange to Michigan’s Saginaw Bay, Table Rock, Lake Lanier, and Devils Lake.
Why Great Lakes Freighters Unload Themselves
A steel arm swings over the dock and thousands of tons of ore pour ashore with no crane in sight. How the biggest Great Lakes ships empty themselves.
How Salty The Ocean Really Is
How Salty The Ocean Really Is. The Chesapeake Bay runs nearly fresh at its northern head, while the Laguna Madre in Texas is far saltier than the open sea.
What Happens To Las Vegas If Hoover Dam Goes Dark
Las Vegas would lose about four percent of its electricity and keep every drop of its water. Why the city does not actually run on Hoover Dam
The Most Snake Infested Rivers In Nevada
The Most Snake Infested Rivers In Nevada include the Truckee, Carson, Humboldt, and Colorado, where garter snakes, gopher snakes, and rattlesnakes find water.
The Day Oroville Dam's Spillway Collapsed
The Day Oroville Dam's Spillway Collapsed. A slab tore loose at the tallest US dam, water topped an untested hillside, and a billion-dollar rebuild followed.
What Happens To The Grand Canyon When Lake Powell Dies
The Grand Canyon does not wait for Lake Powell to die. It feels the decline first, and the tools for managing it stop working before the reservoir does.
The American Mountains You Can Reach By Gondola
The American Mountains You Can Reach By Gondola. Ride to Mammoth's volcanic summit, play disc golf atop Aspen Mountain, or dine facing Mount Rainier.
The Underwater Cliffs And Canyons Of The Great Lakes
Beneath the Great Lakes lie ridges, basins, and shoals, from a sunken Lake Huron land bridge once used by caribou hunters to a volcanic shoal in Lake Superior
Why Some Rivers Disappear Underground
Limestone caves in Kentucky and Florida, granite boulders in New Hampshire, and aquifers in Idaho and California show how some rivers vanish below the surface.
How Far Apart America's Extremes Actually Are
America is a large country, and when its territories are factored in, its geographic extremes become even more prominent.
How Many Great Lakes It Would Take To Fill The Mariana Trench
Somewhere between 19 and 62, and the embarrassing range exists because nobody has agreed where the Mariana Trench starts. The arithmetic, three ways.
The American Mountains With The Darkest Night Skies
The American Mountains With The Darkest Night Skies. Spot Andromeda from Wheeler Peak, use a research telescope on Mount Locke, or camp above Death Valley.
What Happens If Lake Mead Refills Faster Than Anyone Expects
If Lake Mead refilled fast, the cuts would ease, hydropower would rebound, and the bathtub ring would vanish, but one wet streak won’t fix an over-allocated river.
How Much Water A Town's Water Tower Actually Holds
Most US water towers hold 500,000 to 1 million gallons, but capacity depends on tank style and town needs, from old 30,000-gallon cone tops to modern giants.
The Largest Whale Ever Seen Off The US Coast
Blue whales feed off California each summer and fall, drawn by krill, 2,200 now return, close to the population's pre-whaling size, and 80 feet is typical.
What Would Happen To The Colorado River If Hoover Dam Were Removed?
Without Hoover Dam, Lake Mead would drain to a Colorado River channel, stranding Las Vegas intakes, ending hydropower, and reshaping fish habitat.
The American Rivers With The Most Dangerous Rapids
The American Rivers With The Most Dangerous Rapids, where undercut rocks, hungry holes, and frigid water make every Class V run a test of skill and nerve.
The Longest Stretch Of Undeveloped Coastline In America
California's Lost Coast holds 26 unbroken miles with no town, no road and no beach driving, which the is called the longest stretch in the US.
The US Lakes With The Most Water Moccasins
Cottonmouths tolerate brackish water better than any other Southern snake, which is why this list reaches the Gulf coast. The US lakes with the most water moccasins.
The Stormiest Lakes In The United States
The deadliest storm ever to hit an American lake was a hurricane that killed 2,500 people at Lake Okeechobee. The stormiest lakes, and the systems behind them.
How Deep Lake Superior Is Compared To The Empire State Building
The Empire State Building survives Lake Superior purely because somebody bolted a radio mast to the top of it. Everything below that is wet.
What Would Happen If Sea Level Rose 10 Feet In Florida
What Would Happen If Sea Level Rose 10 Feet In Florida. Most of the Keys would go under, and seawalls could not stop water rising through the limestone.
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.