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Water

The Rio Grande in central New Mexico

Rio Grande Runs Dry in Albuquerque

The river is an important water source for central New Mexico, and it’s also home to the endangered silvery minnow

Qikiqtania wakei (top) was more suited to swimming than its larger cousin Tiktaalik (bottom).

After Fish Developed Limbs, Some Might Have Returned to Swimming

Scientists think a recently discovered fossil is evidence that evolution is more like a branching tree than a ladder

Drawing of a woman being dragged to a ducking stool at a river in Ipswich, Suffolk, around 1600

When Authorities Dunked Outspoken Women in Water

In early modern England, women accused of being “common scolds” were immersed in rivers and lakes while strapped to contraptions known as ducking stools

Park visitors walk along a section of the Great Salt Lake that used to be underwater at the Great Salt Lake State Park near Magna, Utah. 

Utah’s Great Salt Lake Is Drying Out

Water levels, the lowest ever measured, are placing migrating birds, local communities and economic development at high risk

Sunrise near St. Joe, a mining town that fell into decay about a century ago. Today, it’s a destination for people exploring the Buffalo River.

America's Waterways: The Past, Present and Future

What Makes the Buffalo River the Jewel of the Ozarks

An unabashed tribute to the wild Arkansas waterway that became the nation’s first national river 50 years ago

Ralph Samuelson on water skiis

The Man Who Invented Water Skiing

One hundred years ago, Ralph Samuelson successfully skied across the waters of Lake Pepin

The record-breaking stingray was caught by a local fisherman.

Good News

Stingray Found in Cambodia Sets Record for World’s Largest Freshwater Fish

The enormous fish is 13 feet long and weighs 661 pounds

The EPA is recommending lower levels of PFAS in drinking water.

EPA Warns Against Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Drinking Water

The federal agency’s new limits on drinking water contaminants take aim at synthetic substances called PFAS that are linked with health issues

A new exhibition in Marseille recreates the famous cave and the art found within. 

Innovation for Good: Game Changers

Tour a Submerged Cave Packed With Paleolithic Art—Without Ever Venturing Underwater

As sea levels rise, an immersive new exhibition in Marseille lets visitors explore an inaccessible cavern’s archaeological treasures

Goldfish, as voracious eaters, will devour snails, small insects, fish eggs, and young fish, out-competing native fish. They can also grow over a foot long outside in the wild. (Pictured: A 14-inch goldfish removed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from the Niagara River that flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario)

Though Cute as Pets, Goldfish Are Highly Invasive Once in the Wild

The animal’s insatiable appetites, bold behaviors and adaptability make them harmful to new environments

Overhead view of Jamestown after a Nor'easter in October 2021

Jamestown, North America’s First Permanent English Colony, Could Soon Be Underwater

Flooding risk has landed the site on the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s list of most endangered places

Lake Mead photographed from the Hoover Dam in Nevada

Officials Will Release Less Water Into Lake Mead Because of Drought

Water levels in both Lake Mead and Lake Powell have dropped to historic lows as the West experiences the most severe megadrought in 1,200 years

Archaeologists now think this is a devotional pool to an ancient god, not a harbor or ship repair area. 

Cool Finds

An Ancient ‘Harbor’ Was Actually a Sacred Pool Designed for Scanning the Stars

Archaeologists think the devotional zone was dedicated to the god Ba’al

A pied avocet wades in a wetland.

Protected Areas Don’t Always Help Wildlife, Study Shows

After examining waterbird populations, researchers found that how a protected area is managed is key in determining its effectiveness

The Dixie Valley toad lives only in a remote Nevada valley. 

Nevada Toad Receives Rare Emergency Protection

The construction of a geothermal power plant could create problems for the amphibian

A view of a Palouse Falls in Palouse Falls State Park in Washington. Geologists believe massive floods carved out this canyon and others in the Scablands.

Devastating Ice Age Floods That Occurred in the Pacific Northwest Fascinate Scientists

The Scablands were formed by tremendous and rapid change, and may have something to teach us about geological processes on Mars

A Spinosaurs hunts a Onchopristis underwater. Dense bones helped the predator swim at depth.

Heavy Bones Helped Some Spinosaurs Swim

The crock-snouted dinosaurs were just as capable in the water as on land

Reservoirs like Lake Powell are falling to record-low water levels due to years of persistent drought.

The West Coast Should Brace for Spring Megadrought, NOAA Warns

More than half of the United States is likely to struggle with limited water supply and increased risk of wildfires in the coming months

Even at thresholds of sodium chloride that were considered safe at 230 milligrams of chloride per liter of water in the U.S. to 120 milligrams of chloride per liter in Canada, researchers found a significant loss of zooplankton populations an increase in algae.  

Road Salt Pollution Levels Deemed Safe in U.S. and Canada May Not Protect Freshwater Ecosystems Enough

At current thresholds, salinization can kill off zooplankton, a crucial microorganism at the center of many food webs

Artist rendering of a solar canal system for California.

California Is About to Test Its First Solar Canals

The innovative project is a win for water, energy, air and climate

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