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Join us on a journey of discovery as we unravel the enigmatic forces at play in these bodies of water.
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00:00Most rivers in the world flow into the sea, but the Okavango in Africa takes its massive waters right into
00:08the Kalahari Desert.
00:09And it looks like this river manages to do the impossible and defies gravity.
00:16The Okavango starts in the highlands of Angola, runs for a thousand miles like any other normal river,
00:23and then drops into the largest inland delta on Earth, known as the Okavango Swamp.
00:28The delta has land slopes dropping at nearly 150 feet, which is about half as tall as the Statue of
00:35Liberty.
00:36The area where the Okavango Delta is now used to be part of a lake that dried up around 2
00:41,000 years ago.
00:43It takes the Okavango water several months to complete its journey, and the landscape there is never the same.
00:51The first European to have found the delta was the Scottish explorer David Livingston.
00:55Yeah, the Dr. Livingston, I presume, guy? That's him.
01:00When he first saw it, he was shocked as he noticed that the water seemed to be flowing backward and
01:05even uphill.
01:06He saw two strong watercourses connecting the Okavango to the wetland systems to the east.
01:12Decades later, other explorers saw them completely dry.
01:16Several years later, the watercourses were full again,
01:19and they kept emptying and filling up, sometimes changing direction.
01:26Scientists managed to explain this mystery when they found a hidden network of faults,
01:31part of the Great Rift Valley, under the sand.
01:34When major earthquakes happen, like the one in Indonesia in 2004,
01:38the Earth sets off a chain reaction.
01:41Tiny cracks underground shift, just enough to send a trickle of water down the river,
01:46and a flood begins, raising the water levels.
01:49Plus, in May and June, when winter begins in the southern hemisphere,
01:54floods bring more fresh water and life to the swamp.
01:57Islands get submerged completely during the peak floods,
02:00and then resurface again at the end of the wet season.
02:11Wildlife just loves all the water in the delta,
02:14and you can often see migratory elephants bathing among pink lily pads
02:19and silverfish, bream, barbels, and other fish.
02:22There are lions, cheetahs, buffalo, wildebeest, hippopotamuses,
02:27hippopotami, zebras, wild dogs, crocodiles, and other species of animals.
02:32Storks, ibis, herons, cranes, and geese like to fly by,
02:37along with 450 species of birds.
02:40Although the Akavango has plenty of water that is priceless in the desert,
02:44people hardly settle along its banks.
02:46One big problem here is the tsetse fly.
02:49But if you're feeling adventurous, you can come here for a water safari.
02:55Scientists from Imperial College in London
02:58stumbled upon a totally unexpected river under the Antarctic ice sheet.
03:03It slurps up water from an area as big as Germany and France combined.
03:07Scientists used to think the lakes under the Antarctic ice
03:10were just chilling by themselves.
03:12But now, it turns out they're part of an interconnected river network.
03:17Water under the ice can form in two ways,
03:19either from melted snow seeping down,
03:22or from the Earth's natural heat and the ice grinding over the ground.
03:26The Antarctic gets a lot of surface melting during the summer.
03:29But Antarctica is usually too chilly for that.
03:33This newly found river is proof that there's plenty of water down there
03:37just from the ice melting from below.
03:39This river could make Antarctica lose its icy cover way faster.
03:43If things heat up enough to melt the surface,
03:46that water could rush down and mess with the base of the ice sheet,
03:50turning Antarctica into a melting mess like Greenland.
03:54If the ice starts moving faster than the water can handle,
03:57it's going to create more friction,
03:59making even more water and speeding up the melting process.
04:03The researchers are on a mission to dig deeper
04:05into how this river system works
04:07and see if it's causing trouble in other parts of the icy continent.
04:11Understanding what's going on down there
04:13could give us a heads-up
04:15on how a changing Antarctica might shake up the whole planet.
04:21The Roe River in Montana flows for just a bit over 200 feet
04:25between Giant Springs and the Missouri River.
04:28It was mentioned in the Guinness Book of World Records
04:30as the shortest river in the world,
04:33but they had to remove this category altogether
04:35because there was some heated debate over this title.
04:38Residents of Oregon claim that their D River was the absolute champion,
04:43as it all depends on when you measure them.
04:46There could even be shorter rivers in Norway or Indonesia,
04:49depending on what you see as a river.
04:52The official definition says it's something that has
04:55constant flowing water in the form of a current
04:57and is fed by upland sources or another river, lake, or watershed.
05:02Creeks and brooks flow together to form streams.
05:05Streams become rivers, and rivers take the water
05:08from higher to lower lands, ending in the ocean.
05:11There are 12 stream orders,
05:13and the first two levels don't have other streams feeding them.
05:16So Roe and its other short buddies
05:19technically deserve the title of rivers.
05:22I'm glad we cleared that up.
05:25Rio Negro in South America
05:27is the largest blackwater river in the world
05:29and the largest left tributary of the Amazon jungle.
05:32Its waters look more like strong tea
05:35and seem pitch black only from the distance.
05:38They get that dark color from humic acid.
05:41When plants containing phenol break down only halfway,
05:45they leave behind this tea-like hue.
05:47Some people believe that blackwater rivers can't be productive,
05:51but Rio Negro helps big fishing industries
05:54and has spots where turtles come to lay their eggs.
05:57Back in the 17th century,
05:59explorers didn't find tons of indigenous folks along the river.
06:03But it probably didn't have to do with its productivity,
06:06more with diseases and conflicts.
06:09There are around 700 different fish species
06:12documented in Rio Negro's basin,
06:14including at least 100 you won't find anywhere else.
06:18A bunch of those fish end up in aquariums,
06:20like the super-popular Cardinal Tetra.
06:22There is a canal connecting Rio Negro and the Orinoco,
06:26which is another major river in South America.
06:29Many aquatic species try to move between the rivers,
06:33but only the toughest can handle the mix of blackwater
06:36and clearwater sections in that canal.
06:40There's a unique creek in Wyoming
06:42that drains both into the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans.
06:46It begins high up in the Teton Range
06:48and later splits into two branches.
06:50The Pacific Creek joins the larger Snake River,
06:53which merges with the Columbia River
06:55and finally reaches the Pacific Ocean.
06:58The Atlantic Creek heads east
07:00and flows into the Yellowstone, Missouri,
07:02and Mississippi rivers
07:03and eventually empties into the Gulf of Mexico.
07:06If you connect the two creeks' watersheds on a map,
07:10you'll get a single blue line
07:11between Oregon and Louisiana.
07:14Explorers who were looking for the Northwest Passage
07:16between the two oceans
07:17never knew they could have used the creek.
07:20They would just need really tiny boats.
07:22Some scientists believe that cutthroat trout
07:25knew about this route long before people.
07:27They managed to migrate from the Snake River
07:30to the Yellowstone River,
07:31most likely using the Two Ocean Creek.
07:36Now, every summer,
07:38the Caño Castales in Colombia
07:40turns into a liquid rainbow,
07:42or the River of Five Colors.
07:44At this time and until the end of fall,
07:47the conditions are just perfect
07:49for the riverbed to turn bright red,
07:51yellow, green, blue, and black.
07:53You gotta thank certain aquatic plants
07:56growing in the river,
07:57a special type of seaweed for all this beauty.
08:00During the wet season,
08:01the river moves fast,
08:02and the sun cannot get to these plants.
08:04When the dry season hits,
08:06there isn't enough water to feed them.
08:07So, the time in between the seasons
08:10has the perfect conditions
08:11for this colorful show.
08:13No other place in the world
08:14has anything similar.
08:16So, at some point,
08:17the number of tourists
08:18who wanted to see it
08:19became so huge
08:20that scientists got concerned
08:22it could be bad
08:23for this hot spot of biodiversity.
08:25The area is home
08:26to rare species of animals,
08:28birds, and plants.
08:29Now, there are ecotourism trails
08:31and strict opening hours
08:33for visitors.
08:36The tranquil-looking Lake Manaun
08:39in Cameroon
08:40is one real trickster.
08:42At first,
08:43it may seem calm and peaceful,
08:45but this lake
08:46is like a fiery volcano
08:48waiting to erupt
08:49at any moment.
08:50And it doesn't even have the decency
08:52to give any warning signs.
08:54Its last outburst
08:55was way back in 1984,
08:58which caused a bang
08:59that left everyone in awe.
09:02It's like the lake's
09:03got a soda can mechanism
09:04down there.
09:05Or, in technical terms,
09:07it experiences
09:08a limnic eruption.
09:10This rare phenomenon
09:11happens when gas
09:13from deep under the water
09:14suddenly erupts.
09:16Certain things have to happen
09:18prior for it to occur, though.
09:20There are some things
09:21you can look out for
09:22if you feel worried.
09:23For starters,
09:24if the vegetation around a lake
09:26looks a bit flattened,
09:27it might have previously experienced
09:29a limnic eruption.
09:32That's because the water
09:33can pop up
09:34with a lot of pressure
09:35and overflow.
09:37The water being a bit warmer
09:38all of a sudden
09:39can also mean
09:40you need to head to safety.
09:44There's this lake
09:45in Kazakhstan
09:46that looks like
09:47a total disaster
09:48on the surface,
09:49with empty tree trunks
09:50sticking out of the water.
09:52Not cute.
09:54But,
09:54if you're feeling daring
09:55and want to take a swim,
09:57you'll be transported
09:58to a whole new world.
10:00Its story
10:01goes back to the year 1911,
10:04when there was a landslide
10:05that filled the valley
10:06with rainwater,
10:08completely submerging
10:09a local forest.
10:11As mesmerizing
10:13as it might sound,
10:14it's no easy task
10:15to dive in.
10:16The water
10:17is freezing,
10:18and all the algae,
10:20plants,
10:20and submerged trees
10:21make it a risky
10:23obstacle course.
10:25Have you heard
10:26about this scorching lake
10:28on the sunny
10:28Caribbean island
10:29of Dominica?
10:30The water
10:31around the edges
10:32is at a sweltering
10:34180 to 197 degrees
10:37Fahrenheit.
10:39No wonder
10:40no one has the guts
10:41to measure the middle.
10:42It's that hot.
10:44Sure,
10:45the heat may go down
10:46once in a while,
10:47but who knows
10:48when those waters
10:49will start boiling again?
10:51Plus,
10:51this place
10:52is full
10:53of nasty gases
10:54like carbon dioxide.
10:56Because of them,
10:57let's just say
10:58it doesn't exactly
10:59smell like roses,
11:00more like rotten eggs.
11:02So unless you want
11:04to end up looking
11:05like a boiled lobster,
11:06I suggest you stay away
11:08from these waters.
11:10If you're planning
11:11a trip to Tanzania,
11:13you might want
11:14to think twice
11:14before diving
11:15into Natron Lake.
11:17Sure,
11:18it's got a beautiful
11:18reddish hue.
11:20But that's thanks
11:21to some bacteria
11:22that call this lake home.
11:24And don't even get me started
11:25on the pH levels.
11:27They're so high
11:28they might even strip
11:29the color off your swimsuit.
11:31But hey,
11:32at least the flamingos
11:33like it there.
11:34Those acid-loving birds
11:36are living their best lives
11:37in a group
11:38with 2.5 million
11:39of their closest feathered friends.
11:42How come these birds
11:43manage to thrive there,
11:44you might wonder?
11:45Well,
11:46no predators means
11:47no stress,
11:48which equals
11:49easy breeding.
11:50They also love
11:51feasting on that
11:53fancy bacteria
11:54which makes the water
11:55all pink.
11:57You may think
11:58that Belize's
11:59great blue hole
12:00is just calling out
12:01to you
12:02with its stunning
12:02blue hues
12:03and close proximity
12:05to land.
12:06But hold your flippers
12:07because there's a catch.
12:09Sure,
12:10it's about 900 feet across
12:11and 300 feet deep
12:13but lurking beneath the surface
12:15is a confusing patterns
12:17of tunnels
12:17filled with coral
12:18and wildlife.
12:20It's like finding your way
12:22through a maze
12:22at a theme park
12:23but with more fish.
12:25And as if that wasn't
12:26tricky enough,
12:27the deeper you go,
12:28the fewer creatures
12:30you'll encounter.
12:31Why, you ask?
12:32Well,
12:33it turns out
12:33that there's a sneaky layer
12:35of hydrogen sulfide
12:37that covers
12:37the entire width
12:38of the hole
12:39depriving any living creature
12:41of oxygen.
12:43Plan on heading
12:45to the Devil's Kettle
12:46Waterfall
12:47in Minnesota?
12:48This one won't
12:49necessarily be dangerous
12:50for you
12:51but you might end up
12:52losing some of your stuff
12:54out there
12:54if you don't pay attention.
12:56That's because
12:57this waterfall
12:58experiences a phenomenon
13:00that's a real head-scratcher
13:01for geologists.
13:03One part of the waterfall
13:05flows normally
13:06while the other part
13:07disappears into
13:08a big ol' hole.
13:09And get this,
13:11not even ping-pong balls
13:12can make it out.
13:14Scientists decided
13:15to investigate
13:16and they went all out
13:17even using GPS trackers.
13:20Initially,
13:21they couldn't figure it out
13:22until they realized
13:23that the hole
13:24acts like a giant blender.
13:26That water
13:27is getting spun around
13:28so hard
13:30it's basically obliterating
13:31everything in its path.
13:33They finally measured
13:35the water volume
13:35and saw that
13:36it was still there
13:37so it was supposed
13:39to come back out somewhere.
13:40The most likely explanation
13:42is that the water
13:43is probably re-emerging
13:45in the stream
13:46located beneath
13:47the waterfall.
13:50You've surely heard
13:51of the Bermuda Triangle.
13:53I mean,
13:53that's old news.
13:54But let me tell you
13:55about the Pacific's
13:57very own watery trap
13:58called
13:59the Devil's Sea.
14:00It's like a game
14:02of hide-and-seek
14:03but with ships.
14:04They disappear
14:05and we can never
14:05find them again.
14:07The Kayomaru No. 5
14:09was on a mission
14:10to investigate
14:11a volcanic island
14:12but the trip
14:13ended up being
14:14just one way.
14:16Add a dash
14:17of detective work
14:18to the subject
14:18and you'll find out
14:19the whole story
14:20about the Devil's Sea
14:22is more myth
14:23and less fact.
14:24But it doesn't make it
14:25any less interesting.
14:27If you're still interested
14:29in some mysterious
14:30ship disappearance
14:31then Lake Superior
14:32is the place
14:33you'll want to read about.
14:35Even the most
14:36skilled scuba divers
14:38can't find
14:38a single piece
14:39of all those
14:40lost vessels.
14:42The main character
14:43of this lake's story
14:44was a ship called
14:45the SS Edmund Fitzgerald
14:47the biggest one
14:49to sink
14:49in the Great Lakes.
14:51To this day
14:52people aren't sure
14:53why it sank.
14:56So,
14:57you're planning
14:57a little swim
14:58in one of the Great Lakes, huh?
15:00Well,
15:01might want to steer clear
15:02of Lake Michigan
15:03unless you're really
15:04into extreme water sports.
15:06This bad boy
15:07has a reputation
15:08for being the most
15:09dangerous of the bunch
15:11thanks to some
15:12sneaky undercurrents
15:13that like to snatch
15:14unsuspecting swimmers.
15:17Make sure to watch out
15:18for those pesky piers
15:19and docks
15:20that only add
15:21to the lake's
15:22swimming difficulty.
15:23If you're feeling
15:25adventurous
15:25you might want
15:26to skip the months
15:27of October
15:28or November.
15:29This is when
15:30the temperatures
15:31start to drop
15:31and the currents
15:32get extra wild.
15:35Tibet has its
15:36dangerous lake too
15:37and at first glance
15:39it's gorgeous
15:40but don't get
15:41too excited.
15:42It's got a salt
15:43content so high
15:44that nothing
15:45can survive in it.
15:46Some villagers
15:47around there
15:48actually consider it
15:49to be tainted
15:50with some sort
15:51of substance.
15:52The cherry on top?
15:54Other locals
15:54believe there's
15:55a selfish creature
15:56living in the lake
15:57who's hogging up
15:58all the space
15:59for itself.
16:00No wonder
16:01its nickname
16:01is darkness.
16:04No list
16:05of dangerous waters
16:06is complete
16:07without Lake Victoria,
16:09the big kahuna
16:10of African lakes
16:11and the third biggest
16:12in the whole wide world.
16:14But beware,
16:15not all its waters
16:16are safe for us humans.
16:18Some regions
16:19can be real
16:20troublemakers
16:21because this lake
16:22has its own
16:23personal climate.
16:24And what does that mean?
16:26Mostly that you
16:27can't trust the weather
16:28here one bit.
16:30You could be soaking
16:31up some sweet rays
16:33one second
16:33and the next
16:34you're running
16:35from a torrential
16:36downpour.
16:37Unless you want
16:38to be caught
16:38swimming in a storm,
16:40steer clear
16:40of this moody lake.
16:43You might have
16:45already seen pictures
16:46of Lake Hillier.
16:47It's like a giant pool
16:49of grapefruit juice
16:50in Australia.
16:51Scientists have been
16:52scratching their heads
16:54over it for centuries
16:55because they still
16:56can't figure out
16:57with certainty
16:57why it's pink.
16:59But here's the kicker.
17:01It's not the only one.
17:03Yep,
17:03there's another
17:04pink lake out there
17:05called Lake Retba.
17:07Both of these lakes
17:08have super high
17:09salt content
17:10which is apparently
17:11a magnet
17:12for some
17:12fancy microorganisms.
17:14These little guys
17:16produce beta-carotene.
17:17You know,
17:18the substance
17:18that's in carrots.
17:20And that's what
17:20gives these lakes
17:21their groovy colors.
17:23Interested in swimming
17:24in this lake?
17:25It's not technically
17:27dangerous
17:27because the water
17:28has such high amounts
17:29of salt in it.
17:30There are no scary
17:31sea creatures
17:32to worry about.
17:33But,
17:34on the other hand,
17:35you'll need to make sure
17:36you don't accidentally
17:37take a sip.
17:38Drinking highly salted
17:40water will make you
17:41dehydrate faster
17:42than a plant
17:43in the desert.
17:44a desert.
17:45To be continued...
17:45To be continued...
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