Geology, ecosystems, land systems, and the forces shaping our planet.
Coquina and tabby can look similar because both contain abundant shell fragments, yet one is a natural rock and the other is a manufactured building material. Coastal communities in Florida and the southeastern United States used each in structures that have survived centuries of salt air, storms and changing ownership. NOAA’s account of coquina and…
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Two broad belts near 30 degrees north and south are famous for clear skies, dry air and winds that may weaken without warning. Sailors called them the horse latitudes. Meteorologists recognize them as the subtropical high-pressure zones where air descending from the tropics spreads in opposite directions. NOAA places the regions at about 30 degrees…
Near the equator, sailors can move from a steady trade wind into a humid zone where the breeze fades, clouds rise quickly and rain falls in sudden bursts. This changeable belt is known as the doldrums. Meteorologists usually describe it through its formal name, the Intertropical Convergence Zone, or ITCZ. The NOAA definition places the…
Compare the latest water-surface elevations, storage volumes, and approximate seven-day changes at Lakes Powell, Mead, Mohave, and Havasu.
