Waste from coal plants is threatening the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, which the biologist E.O. Wilson called “arguably the biologically richest place” in the nation.
Tag Archives: Rivers
When the Red River Floods, Oslo Becomes a Minnesota Island
When the Red River floods near Oslo, Minn., which happens a lot, residents are stuck within the city limits. But a truce with nature keeps the water away from their homes.
An Anaconda’s Play Date With Dolphins Took a Strange Turn
Why were Bolivian river dolphins swimming around with a large predatory snake in their mouths? “There are so many questions,” one researcher said.
Descending Into Florida’s Underwater Caves
The world’s densest collection of freshwater springs is at the center of a slow-motion environmental tragedy.
Six Days Afloat in the Everglades
After a storm disrupted plans for a 99-mile paddling trek, a Times journalist’s time on the water took a more reflective turn. Come look and listen alongside him.
An Invasive Insect Threatens Delmarva Westlands
The emerald ash border threatens ash trees that anchor a unique world on the Delmarva Peninsula.
Conflict and Climate Change Ravage Syria’s Agricultural Heartland
Drought and a decade of war have brought failing crops and poverty to a region once known as Syria’s breadbasket. Even the bread has changed.
In Congo, Floating Pastors Follow Mobile Flocks Along Busy River
To find the faithful, preachers in some areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo hold church where the crowds are, on boats traveling the country’s water highway.
Documenting Los Angeles’s Unlikely Urban Fishermen
The act of fishing in Los Angeles seems almost defiant: a tranquil outdoors activity against a backdrop of concrete, litter and highway overpasses.
As Miners Chase Clean-Energy Minerals, Tribes Fear a Repeat of the Past
Mining the minerals that may be needed for a green energy revolution could devastate tribal lands. The Biden administration will be forced to choose.
Two Years, 22 Rivers, 7,500 Miles. Crossing America by Canoe.
Paddling through the pandemic to see the country from water level “up close and personal at this interesting time.”
Climate Change Is Thawing Arctic Alaska
The landscape resembles frozen spinach left out on the kitchen counter too long.
After Hurricane Sandy, a Park in Lower Manhattan at the Center of a Fight
Nine years after Hurricane Sandy, residents of Lower Manhattan are still vulnerable to rising seas. The fight over a plan to protect them reveals why progress on our most critical challenges is so hard.
Iran Clamps Down on Protests Against Growing Water Shortages
The crackdown came after the protests spilled over to at least one other city and a major protest on Friday loomed. Weather experts say 97 percent of the country is dealing with water scarcity issues.
Cities Are Not Only Tackling Covid, But Its Pollution, Too
All around the world the remnants of a global pandemic are testing the resolve of governments and private firms to rid the planet of its waste.
West Virginia Leads U.S. in Flood Risk, Adding to Manchin’s Climate Dilemma
As the senator blocks Democrats’ push to reduce warming, new data shows his constituents are more exposed to worsening floods than anywhere else in the country.
Setting Sail on the Winding Waterways of California’s Delta
The sprawling 1,250-square-mile system of water and farmland in Northern California is a four-season destination for watersport fans and home to many riverbank communities.
A Journey Along the River That Separates Russia From China
As he neared 80, the travel writer Colin Thubron took a trip along the 10th longest river in the world, chronicled in “The Amur River.”
An Economic Lifeline in South America, the Paraná River, Is Shriveling
The continent’s second-largest river is drying up amid the biggest drought in 70 years, upending ecosystems, trade and livelihoods.
Climate Change Is Killing the Colorado River
Low water levels have triggered cutbacks to some Western states.
Climate Change Contributed to Europe’s Deadly Floods, Scientists Find
Warming increased the likelihood of the record downpours last month in Germany and Belgium and also made them wetter, according to a study.
North Carolina Flooding Leaves 4 Dead and 4 Missing
The remnants of Tropical Storm Fred dropped more than 10 inches of rain on Tuesday in Haywood County, N.C., causing the Pigeon River to overflow.
Montana’s Famed Trout Under Threat as Drought Intensifies
The state is imposing more restrictions on fishing this year as the combination of extreme conditions, including low river levels, fish die-offs and the crush of anglers, poses long-term problems.
What We Know About the Climate Connection to the European Floods
The storm that brought flooding and devastation to parts of Europe is the latest example of an extreme weather event. More are expected.
German Floods Raise the Bar on Extreme Weather Events
Floods like these, which have left more than 100 dead, had not been seen in perhaps a 1,000 years. For many, the warnings came too late, raising questions about lapses in Germany’s flood alert system.
Like in ‘Postapocalyptic Movies’: Heat Wave Killed Marine Wildlife en Masse
An early estimate points to a huge die-off along the Pacific Coast, and scientists say rivers farther inland are warming to levels that could be lethal for some kinds of salmon.
6 U.S. Destinations for a Remote-Working Vacation
As workers prepare to return to the office in coming months, here are six towns and cities to consider squeezing in a working vacation or two.
Australia’s Worst Floods in Decades Quicken Concerns About Climate Change
In a country that suffered the harshest wildfires in its recorded history just a year ago, the deluge has become another awful milestone.
Beauty, Serenity, Stillness: An Ode to the Final Miles of the Mississippi River
Stark and minimalist in their beauty, the landscapes and communities in Louisiana’s Plaquemines Parish exist in a state of constant change.
Catch a Fish in Paris. Post on Social Media. Release.
A new, younger generation of fishers is taking over the banks of the Seine, transforming a centuries-old tradition into an underground culture.
New analysis: Extreme flows in US streams are rising

Enlarge / Flooding in Midland, Michigan in May 2020 after heavy rains caused the failure of two dams. (credit: NASA EO)
Climate change involves direct consequences on the cycling of water through our environment. The warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, making intense rainstorms dump even more water than they used to. On the flip side, warmer air can suck even more moisture out of the ground through evaporation, worsening droughts. These things should obviously result in changes for streams. But the amount of water in streams varies wildly under normal conditions, and it can also be affected by more than just weather. Finding trends in that data has proven difficult.
A new study led by Evan Dethier at Dartmouth College set out to group streams into physically meaningful categories, to see if consistent patterns emerge once apples are separated from oranges. That analysis does reveal some trends—both in extremes of high flow and low flow.
Going with the flow
Many efforts have found mixed trends between streams when analyzing records of peak annual flows, where records tend to go back farther than constant measurements. Attempts to look for regional patterns have largely relied on grouping by arbitrary boxes or political boundaries, which only have a limited connection to the landscape.
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New York Waterway Ferry Company Accused of Dumping Sewage into Hudson
Two former workers claim New York Waterway fouled the river with unfiltered waste from boats’ toilets. The firm denies the allegations.
Park With Covid Memorial Is Rising on Site of Former Toxic Dump
Hundreds of trees will be planted in a grove at the new Skyway Park — one for every resident of Jersey City who has died of the virus.
Hawaii’s Fresh Water Leaks to the Ocean Through Underground Rivers
If the water could be pumped to the surface, it could help alleviate shortages on the island.
Abandoned Rio Tinto Mine Is Blamed for Poisoned Bougainville Rivers
Residents of the Papua New Guinea region have accused the mining giant of environmental and human rights violations and asked for an investigation.
That Person Floating Over the East River Is Riding a $12,000 Water Toy
A cross between a surfboard and a Jet Ski, the eFoil can go as fast as 25 miles per hour — but only for 90 minutes at a time.
China Flooding Has Killed Hundreds and Tested Three Gorges Dam
Unusually heavy rains have wreaked havoc in central and southwestern China, leaving hundreds dead and disrupting the economy’s post-pandemic recovery.
Vacation in the Summer of Covid-19
Traveling during a pandemic requires lots of research, precision planning and a willingness to play by new and very stringent rules. For these writers, it still felt good to get away.
Japan Flooding Deaths Rise to 58, With More Rain on Horizon
Tens of thousands of troops, police officers and other rescue workers have worked their way through mud and debris in the hardest-hit riverside towns to evacuate residents.
An Ancient Valley Lost to ‘Progress’
In his push for economic development, Turkey’s president has flooded the archaeological gem of Hasankeyf and displaced thousands of families.
A Canal That Opened the Montana Prairie May Soon Dry Up
An early 20th-century federal water project irrigated the prairie to create farms and towns in eastern Montana. But it needs a $200 million overhaul.
For This Tribe, Saving a River Means Saving the Sturgeon
The Yakama Nation has been raising fish to release back into the Columbia River for more than a decade. Now, its hatchery is also producing caviar.
When Manhattan Was Mannahatta: A Stroll Through the Centuries
From lush forest to metropolis, the evolution of Lower Manhattan. Our critic walks with Eric W. Sanderson of the Wildlife Conservation Society.
‘There’s No More Water’: Climate Change on a Drying Island
A delicate ecosystem was disrupted in the Comoros, off East Africa, when forests were cleared to make way for farmland. The consequences offer lessons for other parts of the developing world.
Finding Balance in a Tiny, Wobbly Boat
Rowing is a rigorous workout for the muscles as well as for mindfulness: Not wanting to flip keeps you focused.