Up Next
Back to Show
In the America's with David Yetman
The Salton Sea: Life and death in an inland ocean
Season 10
Episode 1005
The Salton Sink has been home to the largest body of water in California for more than a thousand years. Three hundred years ago, it was Lake Cahuilla, a freshwater lake. Changing geology and extensive industrial agriculture have resulted in a very salty and polluted sea. Once a booming tourist mecca, drought, agriculture, and failed development have produced a nearly dead body of water.
Support Provided By
Unlock with PBS Passport
26:46
The Butantan Institute in São Paulo houses venomous creatures that protect human lives.
Unlock with PBS Passport
26:46
The arrival of crowds and developers threaten unusual features of Baja California.
Unlock with PBS Passport
26:46
Native cultures view snakes as spiritually significant elements of nature.
Unlock with PBS Passport
26:46
Our largest national park has become an important natural laboratory.
Unlock with PBS Passport
26:46
The once-great Colorado River faces a dried-out future as more rely on its resources.
Unlock with PBS Passport
26:46
Phantom Ranch, accessible only by trail, is the Grand Canyon's sole permanent settlement.
Unlock with PBS Passport
26:46
Boating through the Grand Canyon provides a setting for reflection on the Colorado River.
26:46
One of the world's greatest cities deals with falling water tables and sinking earth.
Unlock with PBS Passport
26:46
Explore the never-ending race to survive climate changes in the Galapagos Islands.
Unlock with PBS Passport
26:46
Travel along the 500-mile-long Blue Ridge Parkway, part of our national park system.