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Water

The steep walls of the Uncompahgre Gorge dwarf a climber after a long day on the cliffs.

How Do You Create the World’s Biggest Ice Climbing Park?

With nearly 200 different routes and 17,000 vertical feet of terrain, Ouray Ice Park is a haven for ice climbers and the “ice farmers” who bring it to life

New Research

Martian Volcanoes Spewed So Much Lava That the Planet’s Surface Shifted

Volcanic upheaval could explain some of the mysteries of Mars’ strange surface

Ellis Emmett, diving between two continents in Silfra.

Europe

Dive Between Two Continents in This Frigid Fissure in Iceland

Filled with pure glacier water, Silfra is the only place on Earth where divers can touch two continental plates at once

Artist Suzan Shutan assembled her map of the rivers and groundwater wells of Nebraska by projecting the data on the gallery's wall.

Art Meets Science

Eight Artists Conspire About Water Issues In a New Exhibition

In Omaha, Nebraska, individuals and nonprofits unite in a show focusing on the issues of water quantity and quality

Can humans stop a catastrophic rise in sea levels?

New Research

Sea Levels Are Rising More Quickly Than in the Last Two Millennia

Here are five things to know about the rising tide

The ground cracks as a waterhole on Navajo lands in Arizona dries up.

How Will Native Americans in the Southwest Adapt to Serious Impacts of Climate Change?

A drying landscape and changing water regime are already affecting tribal lands

When CO2 rises, wet and wild planets may lose their oceans to space.

New Research

Looking for Life Beyond Earth? Watch Out for Steam Bath Planets

Simulations show that water and CO2 can be a surprisingly deadly combo on some unfortunate worlds

The Fontus Airo water bottle

Cool Finds

This Water Bottle Refills Itself From Moisture in the Air

The Fontus is a gadget for adventurers and potentially a way to help people living regions where water is scarce

Trending Today

After Nearly 50 Years, Niagara Falls Might Soon Run Dry Again

Repairing a set of 115-year-old bridges may require shutting off the rush of water that usually flows over the falls

A group enjoys an igloo hot tub at Iglu-dorf.

Immerse Yourself in the World’s Most Breathtaking Baths

From ice-encrusted hot tubs to baths made of beer, don’t miss these six spectacular soaks

The Detroit Reservoir preserved this 19th-century utility wagon.

Cool Finds

West Coast Drought Uncovers Remnants of a Long-Sunken Oregon Town

Historic low water levels revealed remains of a town beneath Detroit Lake

A cichlid fish swims in Lake Tanganyika. New research has shown new cichlid species coming to be in a much smaller crater lake in Tanzania.

New Research

Darwin’s “Puddle” Could Show How New Species Emerge in Close Quarters

A genetic study of cichlid fish in a small crater lake seems to support a debated evolutionary concept

A beach closed during Lake Erie’s 2014 toxic algal bloom

New Research

Toxic Algae Blooms in Lake Erie Could Become the New Normal

Plans to reduce fertilizer runoff may not be enough to counter the blooms when climate change is taken into account

The Lake Mills reservoir gets drawn down in March 2012 as part of the Elwha River Restoration, which involved the largest dam removal project in U.S. history.

Age of Humans

Removing a Dam Can Be a Net Win for the Planet

Once hailed as clean power sources, dams are sometimes more costly to maintain than they are to tear down

Residents evacuate their homes in Chennai during catastrophic floods.

Trending Today

Five Things You Should Know about the Catastrophic Flooding in Chennai

Mass evacuations, a submerged airport and questions about the city’s urban planning

Water gushes out of Aswan Dam in Egypt.

Age of Humans

Humans Are Draining Even More of Earth’s Freshwater Than We Thought

Ironically, building dams and irrigation systems may end up driving food and water shortages

New Mapping Technology Helps Arctic Communities “Keep on Top” of Sea Ice Changes

Buoys are being deployed in the bays of Labrador, Canada, with sensors that track ice thickness, to stop Inuit from breaking through

Scuba divers abound at the lake during spring and summer, but during fall and winter the lake is a hiker's paradise instead.

Europe

Explore Austria’s Underwater Hiking Trails

Catch it if you can—scuba season is short in this crystal-clear, temporary lake

Activist Tristram Stuart adds to a collection of fruits during an event in Trafalgar Square designed to highlight food waste by feeding 5,000 people on rejected supermarket food.

Age of Humans

This Is How Much Water You Waste When You Throw Away Food

Tossing an apple is like pouring 25 gallons of water down the drain, and the average American does that 17 times a year

The volcanic plume responsible for the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull Volcano in Iceland has also brought up bits of Earth's ancient mantle from deep inside the planet.

New Research

Earth’s Water May Be as Old as the Earth Itself

Ancient volcanic rocks may have preserved tiny samples of the planet’s original moisture

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