The Lakes That Can Suffocate an Entire Valley | Full Documentary

A lake can look completely peaceful.

But beneath the surface, some lakes can become dangerously saturated with carbon dioxide.

In rare circumstances, that gas can suddenly escape from the water and spread across the surrounding landscape — creating an invisible cloud capable of suffocating people and animals.

In The Lakes That Can Suffocate an Entire Valley, we explore the science behind these extraordinary natural hazards, including the catastrophic events at Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun in Cameroon.

Deep beneath certain volcanic lakes, carbon dioxide can accumulate in enormous quantities.

Or another disturbance can cause deep, gas-rich water to rise.

As the pressure decreases, dissolved carbon dioxide can come out of solution.

The process can accelerate rapidly.

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At Lake Nyos in 1986, a massive release of carbon dioxide occurred with devastating consequences.

The dense gas flowed outward from the lake and into nearby low-lying areas.

Because carbon dioxide is heavier than air, it accumulated close to the ground.

Thousands of people and large numbers of animals were affected.

The event demonstrated how a seemingly ordinary natural feature could conceal an extraordinary geological hazard.

Scientists subsequently developed monitoring and mitigation systems designed to reduce the amount of dissolved gas in Lake Nyos.

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The danger comes from a combination of geology, chemistry, physics, and geography.

Carbon dioxide dissolves more readily under pressure.

Deep water can therefore hold enormous quantities of gas.

If that deep water rises, the pressure drops and the gas begins escaping.

The released gas can then move downhill and collect in valleys and other low areas.

This makes the surrounding landscape an important part of the hazard.

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These events are extremely rare.

Most lakes are not capable of producing anything like a limnic eruption.

But the lakes that can demonstrate an important lesson about Earth's hidden processes.

A landscape doesn't have to look dangerous to contain powerful geological forces.

Sometimes the most important warning signs are invisible.

A silent lake can contain gas accumulated over decades.

And under the right conditions, that gas can become suddenly dangerous.

The Lakes That Can Suffocate an Entire Valley.

A journey into the chemistry and geology of deadly gas-filled lakes and the remarkable science being used to understand and monitor them.

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