Geography Of The World
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.
What Happens To The Rockies If The Snow Turns To Rain
Same precipitation, different phase, less water in the river. What happens to the Rockies if the snow turns to rain, and why 2026 already showed it.
What Happens If The Colorado And The Rio Grande Fail The Same Year
If the Colorado and Rio Grande fail the same year, every backup vanishes at once. Why the two rivers are secretly linked, and the cities most at risk.
What Happens To Tucson If Lake Mead Hits Dead Pool
Lake Mead is at record lows and Tucson’s canal cuts start in 2027. What happens to the desert city’s water at dead pool, and why the taps don’t run dry.
How Far The Appalachians Run Compared To The Alps
The Appalachians run about 2,000 miles to the Alps' 750, but the Alps are far taller and much younger, formed long after Pangea built the ancient Appalachians
How Deep Submarines Can Actually Go
US Navy submarines dive beyond 800 feet, but the research sub Alvin can reach 21,325 feet. Why do they have such different depth limits?
The Dam That Holds Back The Most Water In America
The dam holding back more water than any other in America isn’t Hoover. It’s a wall of earth on the Missouri River north of Pierre, South Dakota.
The Largest Lakes In The Southeast
Lake Okeechobee leads the Southeast’s largest lakes, followed by Pontchartrain, Toledo Bend, and the big Tennessee and Santee river reservoirs.
Why Great Lakes Freighters Are Called Lakers
Why are Great Lakes freighters called lakers? The lakes are where they spend their lives. What sets a laker apart from a saltie, from boom to Soo Locks.
The Places Where You Can Stand Between Two Oceans
The Places Where You Can Stand Between Two Oceans. Straddle the Atlantic and Indian oceans at Cape Agulhas, cross Panama by canal, or round stormy Cape Horn.
The Largest Lakes In The Pacific Northwest
The largest lakes in the Pacific Northwest, ranked by surface area: giant Columbia River reservoirs and deep natural lakes across BC, Washington, and Oregon.
How Deep The Mariana Trench Is Compared To Mount Everest
The Mariana Trench’s Challenger Deep is about 36,000 feet deep, so drop Mount Everest in and its summit would still sit over a mile underwater.
One Of The Deepest Octopus Ever Filmed
NOAA filmed a pale, finless octopus nicknamed Casper 14,075 feet down off Hawaii in 2016, the deepest sighting of its kind. It still has no scientific name.
Why Some Towns Have A Hot And A Cold Water Tower
Hot and cold water towers in Pratt, Kansas, and towns like Canton and St. Clair began as local jokes. The water inside stays the same temperature either way.
What Happens When A Dam Uses Its Spillway For The First Time
Hoover Dam's first spillway run in 1941 gouged a cavity 45 feet deep. Six US reservoirs show what a first spill can expose, including a new gorge in Texas.
The US Mountain Trails With The Most Rattlesnake Encounters
From Phoenix to the Shawangunks, these busy mountain trails run straight through rattlesnake den country, where hikers and snakes end up on the same ledges.
How Much Of The World's Water Is In The Oceans?
About 96.5% of Earth's water sits in the oceans. Freshwater makes up only about 2.5%, and most of that is frozen in ice and glaciers or stored underground.
How Many Sailors It Takes To Run A Great Lakes Freighter
Even the 1,013-foot Paul R. Tregurtha sails with just 23 aboard. Why a Great Lakes freighter’s crew barely grows with its hull, and how the jobs divide.
The Rivers Where Salmon Grow Largest
Meet the seven North American rivers where salmon grow largest, from the 97-pound Kenai king to record coho, Atlantic, and pink salmon.
How Big The Mississippi Watershed Is Compared To India
The Mississippi River watershed covers nearly 1.2 million square miles, almost exactly the size of India, draining 41% of the US into one giant funnel.
The Fastest Tidal Current In American Waters
Discover the powerful tidal currents of Washington's Deception Pass, where water exceeds eight knots amid dramatic cliffs and coastal scenery.
The Driest Mountain In The United States
White Mountain Peak in eastern California rises to 14,246 feet, yet the Sierra Nevada rain shadow leaves its high slopes with relatively little precipitation.
Why Parts Of The Rio Grande Are Drying Up
Only about 5% of its natural flow remains in parts of West Texas. See what is really draining the Rio Grande, and what it would take to bring it back.
What Happens If Lake Powell Hits Dead Pool Before Lake Mead
Lake Mead is eight feet closer to dead pool than Lake Powell. It barely matters, because Powell’s outflow is Mead’s inflow and only one order takes the system down.
The Most Snake Infested Rivers In Oregon
Oregon's Columbia, Rogue, Deschutes, and Snake rivers support garter snakes, kingsnakes, rubber boas, and western rattlesnakes along their banks and canyons.
Where Alligators And Water Moccasins Overlap
The cottonmouth range effectively contains the alligator range. Where the two meet, who eats whom, and the twelve months when it reverses.
What Lies At The Bottom Of Lake Mead
As Lake Mead sinks toward record lows in Nevada, its exposed floor is giving up a sunken B-29 bomber, a drowned Mormon town, and bodies in barrels.
Why The Columbia River Has No Delta
The Columbia pours more water into the Pacific than any river in the Americas, yet builds no delta at its mouth. Here’s where all that sand actually ends up.