91av

91av. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

Save Britain's Rivers

The UK’s rivers are in crisis after years of neglect, pollution and over-exploitation. In partnership with the i, 91av’s Save Britain’s Rivers campaign is revealing what’s gone wrong with the country’s waterways and how to restore them.
JIAXING, CHINA - JULY 27: Tourists watch tidal bore of the Qiantang River on July 27, 2025 in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province of China. A tidal bore of the Qiantang River arrives at its most heyday. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

Environment

See the world's largest tidal bore on the Qiantang river in China

Known by locals as the Silver Dragon, this tidal bore can reach 4 metres tall and travel at speeds of up to 10 metres per second

News

Fish rescue wins 91av Editors Award at Earth Photo 2025

Life

Fish rescue wins 91av Editors Award at Earth Photo 2025

Regulars

Environment

Rivers are leaking ancient carbon back into the atmosphere

News

H7X53M Los Cedros River, Cotacachi-Cayapas Reserve, Ecuador

Life

Robert Macfarlane is wrong to cast rivers as life forms in new book

Culture

How mudlarks are uncovering thousands of years of London's history

Video

How mudlarks are uncovering thousands of years of London's history

Video

Mt. Everest

Earth

How 'river piracy' made Mount Everest grow even taller

News

Taylor Roades: Rust River Earth Photo 2024 Shortlisted Entry 2023 was the hottest year on global record and the Arctic is disproportionately affected by these elevated temperatures. The remote Western Brooks Range of North West Alaska has recorded a 2.4 degree increase in temperature since 2006. Permafrost, the layer of soil that remains frozen throughout the year is thawing at an unprecedented rate, exposing the bedrock and all metals that have been frozen within it, to the elements. Tukpahlearick Creek and its tributaries are now flowing bright orange with oxidized iron and sulphuric acid. The change to water quality, and risks associated with metals in the water pose dire threats to ecosystems downstream that rely on these waters, and are symbolic of the far reaching consequences of climate change.

Earth

Photos of a rusting Alaskan river win 91av Editors Award

Regulars

Ben Rogers surfs a tidal bore on the River Severn

Video

Surfing the Severn bore: A battle against Britain's polluted rivers

Video

Environment

Engineers are diverting Mississippi river to restore Louisiana’s coast

News

PTG8E9 Snowplow removes snow off icy road in winter

Environment

Grit salt on our roads is killing freshwater wildlife. What can we do?

The salt we spread to keep roads safe in winter is damaging ecosystems and threatening water supplies. Do alternatives, from coffee grounds to cheese brine, work?

Features

Life

Are there really freshwater manatees thriving deep within West Africa?

Features

Video

Pollution testing on the river Windrush pits science against sewage

Video

Video

Diver documents the 'biblical' demise of UK rivers

Video

Video

Seagrass restoration in Thames estuary could restore shark habitat

Video

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