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Water

Banff Sunshine has pioneered snow farming, which involves setting up miles of fencing across its highest terrain to capture large amounts of wind-blown, natural snow.

This Canadian Ski Area Doesn’t Make Snow—It Farms It

Sunshine Village Ski Resort in Alberta is in the perfect position for piling up powder

Archaeologists studied the tree ring growth patterns of 100 timbers.

Cool Finds

Rare 16th-Century Ship Unearthed in England

Quarry workers discovered the vessel 1,000 feet from the nearest coastline

Watermelon snow near the summit of the Chilkoot Trail in Alaska.

Why Some Western Snow Is Turning Pink

Algae bring a rosy hue to some mountain snowpacks, which might accelerate melting

Our ten-most read stories of the year featured the all-woman army of the African kingdom of Dahomey, mischievous felines, J.R.R. Tolkien and more.

Our Top Ten Stories of 2022

From a teen inventor to invasive fish to lost cities of the Amazon, these were our most-read articles of the year

An illustration of the SWOT satellite orbiting Earth

NASA Launches New Satellite to Study Earth’s Water

The mission’s data could paint a clearer picture of the effects of climate change

A beaver relaxes in water in Anchorage, Alaska. `

As the Arctic Warms, Beavers Move In

Scientists are beginning to study the impacts of beaver dams on the tundra

A rupture in the Keystone pipeline system led to an oil spill into Mill Creek near Washington, Kansas.

Keystone Pipeline Leaks 14,000 Barrels of Oil in Kansas

This is the largest onshore crude pipeline spill in nine years and the biggest in the system’s history

Volunteers and archaeologists dug a trench to reveal more about the mysterious wooden structure emerging from the sand.

Cool Finds

Hurricanes Reveal 19th-Century Shipwreck Hidden Beneath Florida Beach

After two recent storms, a mysterious structure began to emerge

Twelve-year-old Madison Checketts was named one of the 30 finalists in the 2022 Broadcom Masters Competition, the country’s premier science, technology, engineering and math competition for middle school students.

This 12-Year-Old Designed a Water Bottle You Can Eat

After seeing plastic polluting her favorite beaches year after year, Madison Checketts decided it was time to do something about it

Denver banned the use of lead pipes in 1971, but tens of thousands of homes built before then contain them.

EPA Approves Denver’s $700 Million Plan to Remove Lead Pipes

Colorado’s capital city will also get federal funding for the replacement project

Natovenator likely swam to catch small prey.

World’s First Swimming Dinosaur Discovered in Mongolia

Natovenator was a streamlined hunter with jaws full of tiny teeth

Copco 1 dam, one of the four that will be demolished

The Largest-Ever Dam Demolition Will Restore Salmon Habitat

Four aging dams are slated to be removed from the Klamath River beginning as soon as next year

An autonomous underwater vehicle surveying Lake Mjøsa has discovered shipwrecks, dumped ammunition and other historic artifacts.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists in Norway May Have Found a 700-Year-Old Shipwreck

The vessel is located 1,350 feet below the surface of Lake Mjøsa

The Colorado River passes through the Grand Canyon.

A Century Ago, This Water Agreement Changed the West. Now, the Region Is in Crisis

Much has changed since the Colorado River Compact was signed in 1922

This year's list includes Bird Planet, Floridas, I Just Wanna Surf and more.

The Best Books of 2022

The Ten Best Photography Books of 2022

Our favorite titles this year invite viewers to worlds outside their own

Barges stranded by low water in the Mississippi River in Rosedale, Mississippi, a small town near where the lion fossil was found

Drought Reveals Rare American Lion Fossil in Dried-Up Mississippi River

Low water levels have also stranded barge traffic and threatened drinking water

Winchcombe meteorite

Meteorites May Have Brought Water to Earth and Mars

Rare, carbon-containing rocks could have created conditions suitable for life on both planets, two new studies suggest

An illustration of the under-ice river

A Massive Freshwater River Is Flowing Under Antarctica’s Ice

The 285-mile-long stretch of meltwater is longer than the Thames and could speed ice loss

Palcaraju glacier inside Huascarán National Park in Peru

One-Third of Iconic World Heritage Glaciers Will Melt by 2050, Study Finds

A new report from Unesco and the International Union for Conservation of Nature provides a bleak outlook for glaciers amid global warming

The emerald was on the Atocha, a Spanish vessel that sunk in 1622.

Cool Finds

Rare Emerald Discovered in 300-Year-Old Shipwreck Could Sell for $70,000

Proceeds from the sale will go toward humanitarian efforts in Ukraine

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