The world’s coral reefs are home to a quarter of all marine life – and they’re being wiped out. The Water Brothers visit the Meso-American reef, which stretches for over 1,000 km off the coasts of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras. This reef attracts an incredible diversity of life, however, 80% of the coral cover across the entire Caribbean has disappeared in the last 30 years. Why is this happening and what can be done to end the destruction?
Asian carp have invaded the Mississippi River, and destroyed its lucrative fishing industry. Today, only an electric fence is keeping them from entering the Great Lakes, and a few have already been spotted. If any more cross that barrier, prepare for Carpageddon. The Water Brothers find out what an Asian carp invasion could do to the Great Lakes’ 7 billion dollar fishing economy and examine how other invasive species like zebra mussels have changed the Great Lakes ecosystem.
California is naturally one of the driest places in North America, but how did it become the largest agricultural supplier on the continent? A mind boggling system of dams, reservoirs and diversion schemes move water around vast distances, even from outside the State. The Water Brothers reveal how climate change, drought, flooding and over-pumped aquifers have combined to put the entire water management system at risk. And like in many other regions with water in all the wrong places, the pressure is always on to find clever and sustainable solutions.
The North Pole is melting faster than ever. The Northwest Passage will soon be an international shipping lane. Change in the Arctic is happening at warp speed. With rising sea levels, the fate of the world depends on slowing the Big Thaw. The Water Brothers visit the Arctic to get the facts and find answers.
For thousands of years, the culture and people of Southeast Asia have been shaped by the flow of the Mekong River. However, the Mekong is undergoing incredible changes as a combination of climate change, overfishing and dams on Mekong tributaries have caused fish populations to plummet and altered water quality. The Water Brothers travel up the Mekong to learn how its conditions are changing and how a series of 11 planned mega-dams will further affect the river and its people.
Canadians enjoy one of the cleanest and most plentiful supplies of freshwater in the world. Tap water is also cheap and easily accessible, so why is there such a huge demand for bottled water? The Water Brothers visit a water treatment facility and discover that water from the tap is often of the same quality or even better than bottled water. Globally, 17 million barrels of oil are needed to produce and distribute bottled water annually. The true cost of bottled water just doesn’t add up, both in Canada and around the world.
The Ganges is worshipped as a goddess, and many Hindus believe that this holy river cannot be polluted, yet it is one of the most dangerously contaminated rivers in the world. The Brothers meet the people who live with the extraordinary paradox of the Pure and the Poisoned – and they take their own holy dip in the Ganges with over 30 million people at the legendary Maha Kumbh Mela, the largest gathering of humans on earth.
The Brothers embark on a sailing adventure to the middle of the Pacific Ocean to the remote “Great Pacific Garbage Patch”, a massive collection of plastic waste congregated together by swirling ocean currents known as gyres. What does the patch look like? How does it affect wildlife and the seafood we eat? Where in the world did this inconceivably massive amount of plastic come from and from what human activities, and more importantly, what can be done about it? The Water Brothers bring us some answers to this strange and disturbing phenomenon.
It sounds futuristic, but “Dead Zones” exist in our water environments and are rapidly increasing in size and number. Why? A Dead Zone is a body of water with greatly reduced oxygen, often causing marine life to die. Habitats that were once teeming with life are reduced to biological deserts. Run-off of nutrients from farming is a major culprit. The Brothers travel to the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Erie to examine two of the world’s largest and most notorious Dead Zones.
Hundreds of millions of people live without access to clean water and billions live without a toilet, causing countless lives to be lost each day. It is women and girls that are usually given the difficult task of hauling water, taking many hours each day often in the hot sun and sacrificing much for their families and communities. The Brothers travel to Africa to the most water scarce regions of Tanzania and Kenya, to see first hand how simple water projects can make huge changes towards economic advancement – and how it is women who hold the key to improving clean water and sanitation access in their local communities.
Canadians are big water users and are also advanced in water treatment and distribution technologies. Yet, in one of the most water rich countries in the world, approximately one out of every five First Nations communities in Canada lacks access to clean, safe and sustainable drinking water. Why do some First Nations communities have these problems and others do not and are thriving? How can there be economic independence and advancement for these communities without this basic human right? The Brothers travel to First Nations communities in search of the answers.
No one saw it coming – the extensive flooding and damage in the NY City area in 2012 from Hurricane Sandy. But all the signs were there, half way across the planet in Bangladesh. The Brothers witness first hand the impact of rising sea levels and the increasing frequency and ferocity of violent storms, and some of the amazing adaptations the people of Bangladesh are undertaking. Will these solutions and others hold the key to Bangladesh’s floating future, or is this country on the verge of a massive environmental refugee crisis? Watch out, because Here Comes the Flood!
People love to eat salmon, but chances are that salmon is not wild. Globally, over 70% of the salmon we eat is raised on fish farms in the open ocean. Does it matter? And is it true that salmon farms, which are supposed to take the pressure off wild salmon stocks, might be wiping them out? To find out, the Brothers immerse themselves in the worlds of both wild and farmed salmon in one of the most beautiful places on earth.
Over 90% of the large fish in the ocean have been fished out. Thankfully, there are still a few remote places where the last remaining giants of the ocean thrive. Lying 550 km off the west coast of Costa Rica, Cocos Island is home to one of the richest marine habitats on Earth. The Water Brothers join a research expedition to this UNESCO World Heritage site to dive with the giants of Cocos Island and learn why it is so important for the ocean to have protected and thriving hotspots. Join the Brothers as they take viewers on an incredible journey.
The Water Brothers continue their journey at Cocos Island and turn their attention to the migration patterns of the sharks and sea turtles that frequent this undersea wonderland. Working together with a team of dedicated marine biologists, the brothers tag and track these animals’ movements to gather clues about their migration routes. The information gathered by the team will be critical in protecting these threatened creatures from fishermen lurking just beyond the parks borders.
The Jordan River has been reduced to a trickle. This iconic river that nourished the growth of ancient civilizations has become little more than a glorified sewage canal. The Water Brothers venture to Israel, Palestine, and Jordan to investigate the reasons behind the demise of this once mighty river. From the Sea of Galilee, to the site of Jesus’ baptism, to the massive sinkholes that surround the Dead Sea, Alex and Tyler speak with dedicated individuals who are living in this region mired in conflict and are leading the struggle for fair accessibility to the most essential resource of all – water.
The ocean is one of the largest, untapped sources of clean energy on the planet. Tidal and wave power are two of the most exciting marine renewable energy solutions that are already generating electricity right now. The Water Brothers get to the heart of this burgeoning industry by investigating the state-of-the-art technologies being deployed off the rugged coasts of Scotland and Northern Ireland. Their search takes them back to Canada to the site of the world’s largest tides – in the Bay of Fundy – where they go rafting on massive tidal bores and discover the true potential of this Ocean of Energy.
Fish stocks around the world are being depleted at an alarming rate, and yet growing populations are more dependent on these vital food sources than ever. The Water Brothers venture to the East Coast of the US and Canada to witness first-hand how overfishing has changed the local marine ecosystem and join fishermen who choose to catch their fish in a sustainable way.
As we burn fossil fuels, carbon dioxide is seeping into the oceans and creating an alarming, science-fiction scenario. It’s called ocean acidification. It could lead to a mass extinction of marine life, yet it is largely unknown to the public. In the Pacific Northwest, the Brothers meet scallop & mussel farmers who are already experiencing the impacts of this recent phenomenon and losing millions of dollars.
Most people associate NASA with exploring the vastness of space, but much of NASA’s research is directly related to water – both on and off our Blue Planet. The Water Brothers visit a NASA research centre to better understand how water is an essential component of every rocket launch and test out the water recovery system used on the International Space Station. Through interviews with astronaut Chris Hadfield, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and numerous renowned NASA scientists and engineers, the Water Brothers learn how space technology is advancing our understanding of water, both here on Earth and throughout the universe.
In Sao Paulo, Brazil a record-breaking mega-drought has crippled the city and deforestation is thought to be one of the leading causes of the water shortages. The Brothers travel to the Amazon to bring home the powerful message of what happens to the water cycle when too many trees are removed, and meet with innovative farmers and indigenous communities who are trying to protect forests while maintaining high productivity and combating the growing threat of forest fires.
Most of us enjoy fresh clean tap water 24/7, but few of us are aware of the problems facing our outdated water infrastructure networks that bring us that water and take away our waste and the billions of dollars that will be needed to fix these problems. The Brothers venture into this hidden underworld and investigate what can be done to fix our aging water networks.
One of the greatest crimes against nature plays out daily on the high seas. Outlaw vessels are participating in illegal fishing on an industrial scale. Globally, 1 in 5 fish are caught illegally, undermining marine conservation efforts and robbing developing countries of their precious food. The brothers travel to Palau to see this destruction firsthand, while also learning about the newest spy and surveillance technology to help combat this massive problem.
Canada is home to over 1 million lakes and one of the largest freshwater supplies in the entire world, but scientists are discovering that these vast freshwater resources, and the ecosystems they support, are increasingly at risk due to the effects of climate change. From changing rainfall patterns, to reduced snowpack, melting mountain glaciers and warming lakes, Canada is more vulnerable to climate change than many of us assume. We are indeed living on thin ice.
An astounding 70% of all the freshwater humans use is for agriculture. Improving water use efficiency on farms is one of the most critical challenges of the 21st century if we hope to feed the 9 billion people living on this planet by 2050. The Brothers travel across North America to meet with farmers using innovative technologies and methods to produce more food, using less water and investigate the growing problem of food waste and the vast amounts of water and energy that are also wasted along with our food.
Sushi has evolved from being a niche, exotic cuisine into one of the most popular foods in the world. The Brothers travel across North America to investigate the impact of this cuisine on health of the ocean and meet sushi chefs who are introducing customers to more sustainable seafood options.
The Water Brothers adventure to Ontario’s far north to experience the incredible power of peatlands to store carbon and water and why these biodiverse wetlands are so deserving of more protection.
The water-resistant properties of countless products we use every day is made possible by a group of toxic chemicals known as PFAS. Just how dangerous are these “forever chemicals” and are there safer alternatives?
About three quarters of the wetlands that once existed in southern Ontario are now gone. How do we restore these vital habitats that are also some of our best natural defenses against the effects of climate change?
Over 10 million kilograms of plastic enters the Great Lakes each year. As the largest freshwater ecosystem on Earth fills up with plastic, it is also building up in the bodies of wildlife and the 40 million people who rely on the Lakes for drinking water. The Water Brothers go on a search for promising solutions to the massive global challenge of plastic pollution.
Soil is the foundation of Earth’s biodiversity and our food supply, but its health is rapidly degrading around the world. The Water Brothers meet with scientists and farmers across Ontario who are dedicated to regenerating the health of soils and using more sustainable forms of agriculture.
In the deepest chambers of a northern Ontario mine, scientists have discovered the oldest water on Earth – over 2 billion years old. What secrets does this ancient water contain and how else are we connected to groundwater in our everyday lives?