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    play
  • 2015-09-27T04:00:00Z on Arte
  • 50m
  • 4h 10m (5 episodes)
  • Documentary
ur planet’s lakes make up a huge and precious freshwater reserve from which mankind has drawn for tens of thousands of years. Created by a wide range of climatic and geological conditions, these lakes are maintained through the delicate balance between the water that feeds them and the rivers into which they drain. Although all lakes may seem alike, they are, however, extremely diverse. Some are as deep as oceans. Others can be crossed almost without getting one’s feet wet. Certain lakes seem like they will be here for an eternity while others come and go with the seasons. But they all have one thing in common: they are all home to rich and varied life forms in their depths and on their banks. Unlike the tumultuous waters of the oceans and mighty rivers, lake water seems immutable and at peace. But beneath this tranquility hides a aquatic heart that beats at a gentle natural pace. It is this secret life of lakes that we will attempt to capture during the five episodes in this series. We will follow the life cycles of those remarkable lakes we have chosen to present. We will discover how people and nature have existed together for so long, in harmony with this natural rhythm. We will observe these lakes and try to understand them. But more than that, we will admire them because the changing face they present is one of striking beauty.

5 episodes

Series Premiere

2015-09-27T04:00:00Z

1x01 Lake Baikal, Ice and Water

Series Premiere

1x01 Lake Baikal, Ice and Water

  • 2015-09-27T04:00:00Z50m

In the heart of Siberia, a paradoxical lake defies the usual laws of such bodies of water. It is 25 million years old and getting deeper every day, covering a deep abyss in the Russian landscape. Those who live on its shores revere this exceptional lake, calling it "the Pearl of Siberia."

Lake Nasser is the result of the construction of the Aswan High Dam. The consequences, positive and negative, of the existence of this huge reservoir are equally spectacular. Though electricity reaches the smallest Egyptian villages the Nile Delta, deprived of its silt, is gradually disappearing.

2015-09-27T04:00:00Z

1x03 Lake Lencois, Sand Lakes

1x03 Lake Lencois, Sand Lakes

  • 2015-09-27T04:00:00Z50m

The dunes that stretch as far as the eye can see to the north of São Luís make one think of the Sahara, but the water surrounding the dunes is not a mirage. This is the Lençois Maranhenses National Park, a chain of little-known Brazilian lakes with an amazing ecosystem.

This lake and river system in Cambodia is unique in the world, and the people residing on its banks live a part aquatic and part terrestrial existence. Fishing, snake hunting and crocodile breeding are part of daily life for the Khmers on the banks of Tonle Sap

2015-09-27T04:00:00Z

1x05 Great Salt Lake

1x05 Great Salt Lake

  • 2015-09-27T04:00:00Z50m

The Great Salt Lake in Utah is divided into two parts by a railroad causeway, and each part of the lake has its own unique salinity and eco system. There is actually Lake Snow that falls in the surrounding mountains. Many species depend on this salty body of water for sustenance.

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