Flooding along the James River, South Dakota

Acquired May 1, 2011, this natural-color image shows the James River completely filling the river valley near Jamesville, South Dakota.

Land Floods

Flooding on the White River

Meandering across a wide, relatively flat plain, the White River of Arkansas is no stranger to flooding. With regularity, spring rains push the river over its banks, inundating the flood-adapted forest that surrounds it. The river reached its fifth highest crest of 33.78 feet on April 19, 2008.

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Way Down Yonder on the Chattahoochee

The river supplies Atlanta with its drinking water and a bit of recreational fun.

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Flooding along the James River, South Dakota

Acquired June 5, 2011, and May 19, 2005, these false-color images compare conditions along the James River near Mitchell, South Dakota.

Land Floods

Fall Color in Ottawa

Trees have long been cherished here for timber and for the colors they bring to “the Fall Rhapsody.”

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Lower Canyons of the Rio Grande

The eastern section of the Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River runs deep through the desert wilderness.

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Connecticut River Oxbow

Floods and new infrastructure have long since separated the distinctive bend in the river that was portrayed by landscape painter Thomas Cole in 1836.

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A Blackwater River Meets the Sea

A satellite image offers inky evidence of the organic-rich freshwater that the Suwannee River delivers to the Gulf of Mexico.

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Kuiseb River Reaches the Sea

Acquired April 2, 2011, and February 27, 2011, these natural-color images show rising waters on the Kuiseb River, which flowed all the way to the Atlantic Ocean for the first time in decades.

Land Floods

Lay of the Land Between Old River and the Mississippi

This model of the land elevation between the Mississippi, the Atchafalaya, and the Old River show the uphill fight to control river flow.

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The River of No Return

The Salmon River in Idaho, one of the longest free-flowing rivers in the United States, rushes through a geologic wonderland of wooded ridges, eroded bluffs, and stone towers and crags.

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Mississippi Floods near Vicksburg

Acquired May 18, 2011, this natural-color image shows flooding along the Mississippi and Yazoo Rivers near Vicksburg, Mississippi.

Land Floods

Mississippi River Well Below Normal

Coming off of the extreme floods of 2011, the river was approaching historic lows in the summer of 2012 near Memphis and along much of its lower reaches.

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New River Gorge, West Virginia

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Platte River, Nebraska

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Songhua River

This false-color image from April 1, 2002, shows numerous braided channels and oxbow lakes along the Songhua River in northeastern China, just upstream of the city of Harbin.

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