Untold Earth

How Louisiana's Mega Swamp Breaks Hurricanes

In the Atchafalaya Basin—the largest river swamp in the U.S.—ancient cypress trees act as natural barriers against hurricanes and extreme weather. Spanning a million acres, these nearly indestructible trees have protected Louisiana's coast for thousands of years. How does this million-acre ecosystem protect Louisiana’s communities, and how can we protect it?

How Louisiana's Mega Swamp Breaks Hurricanes

7m 53s

  • There’s Something Weird Going On With the Northern Lights: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    There’s Something Weird Going On With the Northern Lights

    S2 E4 - 7m 33s

    The awe-inspiring visuals of the aurora borealis have fascinated humanity for centuries, but its most enduring mystery lies not in what we see but what some have claimed to hear for generations. Although such accounts have long been dismissed by modern science, could it be that these stories were right all along?

  • What Turned These Ancient Trees to Stone?: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    What Turned These Ancient Trees to Stone?

    S2 E3 - 7m 7s

    Locked within the stones and fossils of Petrified Forest National Park lies a record of life, death, and resilience during one of Earth's most extreme periods of environmental change. What secrets do these fossilized ecosystems reveal about the prehistoric past, and how can they help predict the future of life on Earth?

  • How Louisiana's Mega Swamp Breaks Hurricanes: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    How Louisiana's Mega Swamp Breaks Hurricanes

    S2 E2 - 7m 53s

    In the Atchafalaya Basin—the largest river swamp in the U.S.—ancient cypress trees act as natural barriers against hurricanes and extreme weather. Spanning a million acres, these nearly indestructible trees have protected Louisiana's coast for thousands of years. How does this million-acre ecosystem protect Louisiana’s communities, and how can we protect it?

WETA Passport

Stream tens of thousands of hours of your PBS and local favorites with WETA Passport whenever and wherever you want. Catch up on a single episode or binge-watch full seasons before they air on TV.