Colorful Planet

NARRATOR: FROM THE BLACKNESS OF SPACE, EARTH IS A BLUE PLANET, BUT LOOK CLOSER, AND IT BECOMES A KALEIDOSCOPE OF COLOR-- SURPRISING AND CONSTANTLY CHANGING.

CREATED BY NATURAL PHENOMENA... BY ANIMALS... AND BY PEOPLE.

♪ THESE COLORS ARE REVEALING NEW INSIGHTS INTO THE LIFE OF OUR PLANET.

♪ SATELLITES ORBITING THE EARTH CAN NOW LOOK DOWN AT OUR HOME IN EXTRAORDINARY DETAIL.

THIS NEW PERSPECTIVE IS TRANSFORMING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE NATURAL WORLD.

AT A TIME WHEN EARTH'S SURFACE IS CHANGING FASTER THAN AT ANY POINT IN HUMAN HISTORY, THESE CAMERAS ARE REVEALING OUR PLANET IN A WHOLE NEW WAY.

THIS IS OUR HOME AS WE'VE NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE.

[CHANTING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE] ♪ NATURAL PHENOMENA CREATE SOME OF THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY COLORS ON EARTH... NONE MORE SO THAN THE AURORA, OUR PLANET'S GREATEST SPECTACLE.

THE PEOPLE OF THE ARCTIC CIRCLE HAVE MANY LEGENDS TO EXPLAIN THESE COLORFUL DISPLAYS.

IN FINLAND, THEY ARE THE SPARKS OF FIRE FROM THE FLAMING TAIL OF A RUNNING FOX.

♪ THE VIKINGS BELIEVED THEM TO BE THE GLOW FROM THE ARMOR OF DEAD WARRIORS MARCHING THEIR WAY TO VALHALLA.

♪ IN GREENLAND, A NATIONAL OBSESSION HAS BEEN BORN FROM THE LIGHTS.

THIS IS ILULISSAT 150 MILES NORTH OF THE ARCTIC CIRCLE, HOME TO NEARLY 5,000 PEOPLE.

EVEN AT -3, NOTHING GETS IN THE WAY OF THE PEOPLE'S FAVORITE PASTIME... SOCCER.

[CHATTERING IN GREENLANDIC] SOFIE ANDERSEN IS SOMETHING OF A SUPERFAN.

[SOFIE LAUGHING] [HOWLING] WITNESSING THE AURORA'S COLOR IS ALWAYS MAGICAL...

BUT THE VIEW FROM SPACE... HAS TRANSFORMED OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THIS SPECTACLE.

ONLY FROM ABOVE CAN THE WHOLE AURORA BE SEEN.

THE RIBBONS OF LIGHT ARE WAVES OF SOLAR PARTICLES COLLIDING WITH OUR ATMOSPHERE, FORMING VERTICAL STREAKS HUNDREDS OF MILES HIGH.

WE NOW KNOW THESE FOLLOW THE LINES OF THE EARTH'S MAGNETIC FIELD, AND SCIENTISTS HAVE OBSERVED COLOR MORE SPECTACULAR THAN EVER.

200 MILES UP, THE LIGHTS TURN FROM GREEN... TO RED... AS SOLAR PARTICLES REACT WITH OXYGEN.

♪ MUCH OF WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE AURORA HAS ONLY BEEN DISCOVERED BY STUDYING IT FROM SPACE.

♪ THE TINIEST SPLASH OF COLOR IS NOW HELPING TO LOCATE ANIMALS IN THE MOST REMOTE LANDSCAPES.

IN JUNE, THE SHORES OF THESE EAST AFRICAN LAKES ARE FLECKED WITH PINK... A FLOCK OF THOUSANDS OF LESSER FLAMINGOS.

[FLAMINGOS SQUAWKING] THESE FLAMINGO PARADES HELP THE BIRDS TO FIND A PARTNER, ALTHOUGH WE DON'T YET FULLY UNDERSTAND HOW THEY MAKE THEIR CHOICE.

THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, THE FLAMINGOS MOVE BETWEEN REMOTE LAKES IN SEARCH OF FOOD.

TRACKING THEM FROM THE GROUND IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE...

BUT SATELLITES NOW ALLOW SCIENTISTS TO FIND THE FLOCKS AS THEY LAND ON THE LAKE SHORES, MONITORING THEIR MOVEMENT AND THEIR NUMBERS.

♪ IN ANTARCTICA, A FLASH OF RED...

BLOOD ON THE ICE... WHERE WEDDELL SEALS HAVE JUST GIVEN BIRTH TO NEW PUPS.

[SEALS BARKS] [BARKS] THE SOUTH ATLANTIC SEAS SURROUNDING BIRD ISLAND ARE SO TREACHEROUS THAT SATELLITES ARE THE SAFEST WAY TO STUDY THEM.

SCIENTISTS ARE LOOKING FOR THESE TINY SPOTS.. EACH A WANDERING ALBATROSS.

[SQUAWKING] ♪ USING COLOR IN THIS WAY IS A POWERFUL NEW TOOL, WHICH HAS LED TO ONE OF THE GREATEST WILDLIFE DISCOVERIES OF THE LAST DECADE.

IN ANTARCTICA, AN UNEXPECTED COLOR HAS BEEN DISCOVERED, BROWN PATCHES DOTTED ACROSS THE ICE.

[WIND BLOWING] THEY MARK THE LOCATION OF ONE OUR PLANET'S MOST ICONIC SPECIES... EMPEROR PENGUINS... [PENGUINS CHATTERING] WRAPPED IN A COAT OF DENSE FEATHERS TO SURVIVE THE EXTREME COLD.

THE COLONY IS FULL OF NEW LIFE.

HATCHED JUST A MONTH BEFORE, THE HUNGRY CHICKS CONSUME PREDIGESTED FISH AND KRILL BROUGHT TO THEM BY THEIR PARENTS... ♪ BUT AT 40 DEGREES BELOW, ALL THE WATER IS FROZEN SOLID.

WITH NOTHING TO DRINK, THE PENGUINS MUST EAT THE SNOW BENEATH THEIR FEET, WHICH IS BECOMING... RATHER UNAPPEALING.

♪ ♪ 20,000 BIRDS CREATE A VAST AMOUNT OF DROPPINGS.

THEY NEED TO FIND FRESH, CLEAN SNOW TO EAT.

AS THE COLONY SLOWLY WORKS ITS WAY ACROSS THE ICE, THEY LEAVE A TRAIL BEHIND THEM.

OVER WEEKS, THE PATCHES SPREAD... AND ONCE SCIENTISTS KNEW WHAT TO LOOK FOR, THEY STARTED TO FIND NEW COLONIES.

26 PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN EMPEROR PENGUIN COLONIES HAVE NOW BEEN DISCOVERED FROM SPACE...

DOUBLING THE KNOWN GLOBAL POPULATION OF THE SPECIES.

♪ ♪ WHILE THE VIEW FROM ABOVE CAN HELP US DISCOVER NEW LIFE, IT CAN ALSO SHOW US LANDSCAPES IN NEED OF EXTRA CARE.

SATELLITE CAMERAS LOOKING DOWN ON THE WHITE OF THE GREENLAND ICECAP REVEAL SPOTS OF BLUE.

ARCTIC TEMPERATURES ARE RISING DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE, AND NOW EACH SUMMER, RIVERS OF TURQUOISE MELTWATER ARE SPREADING FURTHER AND FURTHER ACROSS THE ICE.

THESE RIVERS FLOW INTO DEPRESSIONS ON THE ICE CAP... ♪ FORMING HUGE LAKES OF MELTWATER... EACH ONE UP TO 3 SQUARE MILES OF SAPPHIRE BLUE.

[WATER FLOWING] ♪ ♪ SCIENTISTS HAVE COMBINED SATELLITE IMAGES OF THESE LAKES TAKEN OVER THE SUMMER MONTHS... TO DISCOVER THAT THEY FILL AND EMPTY AGAIN AND AGAIN...

REVEALING THAT UP TO 550 BILLION TONS OF WATER PER YEAR DRAINS OFF THE ICECAP AND INTO THE SEA.

♪ SATELLITES ARE NOW BEING USED TO MEASURE AND MONITOR THESE LAKES IN AN ATTEMPT TO PRESERVE THIS FRAGILE LANDSCAPE.

♪ ♪ FINDING COLOR FROM ABOVE HAS LED TO GROUNDBREAKING NEW DISCOVERIES IN REMOTE CORNERS OF THE WORLD...

BUT NOT ALL THE COLORS ON OUR PLANET ARE NATURAL.

SOME OF EARTH'S MOST SURPRISING COLORS ARE MANMADE.

IN MASSACHUSETTS, MILLIONS OF HARVESTED FLOATING CRANBERRIES TURN PONDS BLOOD RED... ♪ WHILE IN THE DESERTS OF UTAH, MINERAL POOLS ARE DYED BRIGHT BLUE TO SPEED UP EVAPORATION AND EXTRACT POTASH THAT'S USED IN FERTILIZER.

♪ IN THE GOBI DESERT, MILLIONS OF RED-HOT CHILIES ARE DRYING IN THE SUN... ♪ ♪ WHILE THE BAY AREA OF SAN FRANCISCO IS LIKE A KALEIDOSCOPE AS SALT IS PRODUCED IN SEAWATER EVAPORATION PONDS... ♪ AND EVERY SPRING, THE FIELDS OF HOLLAND ARE PAINTED WITH RAINBOW BARCODE STRIPES.

♪ ♪ 60% OF ALL THE WORLD'S TULIPS ARE HARVESTED FROM THESE FIELDS.

♪ WITHIN A FEW WEEKS, ALL THE FLOWERS AND THEIR COLORS ARE GONE.

AND EVERY SPRING IN SOUTHWEST CHINA... A VAST AREA APPEARS BRIGHT YELLOW... AS BILLIONS OF RAPESEED FLOWERS BLOOM.

THESE FLOWERS WILL EVENTUALLY PRODUCE UP TO 20% OF ALL THE WORLD'S RAPESEED OIL... ♪ ♪ A COLOR TRANSFORMATION SO HUGE THE ONLY WAY TO CAPTURE IT IN ITS ENTIRETY IS FROM SPACE.

♪ ♪ [MAN SPEAKING CHINESE] MR. DAI AND HIS SON ARE NOMADS.

THEY'VE TRAVELED ACROSS CHINA JUST IN TIME FOR THE BLOOM...

BUT THEY'RE NOT HERE TO MAKE OIL.

[SPEAKING CHINESE] THEY'VE COME TO MAKE HONEY.

BUT THE WEATHER IS NOT ON THEIR SIDE.

THE VIEW FROM SPACE IS ALMOST COMPLETELY WHITE.

THICK CLOUDS ARE BLOCKING THE SUN.

♪ IT'S JUST TOO COLD FOR THE BEES TO FLY.

♪ WITH A CHILL IN THE AIR, THESE BEES AREN'T GOING ANYWHERE... AND TIME IS RUNNING OUT.

IN TWO WEEKS, THE RAPESEED FARMERS WILL SPRAY PESTICIDES OVER THE FIELDS, MAKING IT A DANGEROUS PLACE FOR THE BEES.

THEY HAVE TO MOVE ON BEFORE THE SPRAYING STARTS.

ALL THEY CAN DO IS WAIT FOR THE SUN.

♪ ♪ AFTER 3 GRAY DAYS, THE CLOUDS FINALLY PART... ♪ AND 1.5 MILLION BEES HEAD OUT TO WORK.

[BUZZING] ♪ [HAI LAUGHING] THEY MUST VISIT OVER TWO MILLION FLOWERS TO MAKE JUST ONE JAR OF HONEY.

♪ ♪ THE BEES DRINK THE SUGARY NECTAR... AND TRANSFER IT TO THE HIVE, WHERE IT BECOMES HONEY... FOOD FOR THE HIVE DURING THE LONG WINTER MONTHS...

BUT BEES ARE MORE THAN JUST HONEY MAKERS.

THEY ARE ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST IMPORTANT CROP POLLINATORS, HELPING PLANTS PRODUCE FRUITS, SEEDS, AND VEGETABLES.

[BUZZING] WE NEED BEES...

BUT NOW PESTICIDES ARE CONTRIBUTING TO A WORLDWIDE DECLINE IN THE NUMBER OF HONEYBEES.

♪ MR. DAI'S WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY IS SHORT...

BUT THE BEES HAVE BEEN BUSY.

[DAI LAUGHING] HE HAS MADE JUST ENOUGH HONEY TO SELL AT THE MARKET... AND NOT A MOMENT TOO SOON.

THE FIELDS WILL BE SPRAYED IN TWO DAYS' TIME, AND OIL PRODUCTION WILL START.

EARTH'S SURFACE IS CHANGING FASTER NOW THAN AT ANY POINT IN HUMAN HISTORY...

WHICH MAKES THE VIEW FROM ABOVE CRUCIALLY IMPORTANT.

COLORS CAN BE AN INDICATION OF THE PLANET'S HEALTH.

WHERE THEY APPEAR THEY CAN BE A SIGN THAT LIFE IS THRIVING, BUT WHERE THEY DISAPPEAR, THE NATURAL WORLD MAY BE UNDER THREAT.

OFF THE COAST OF ALASKA, SPRING HAS TRANSFORMED THE OCEAN...

VAST SWIRLS OF GREEN AND TURQUOISE HUNDREDS OF MILES ACROSS, A PLANKTON BLOOM.

DESPITE THEIR ENORMOUS SIZE, THESE BLOOMS ARE CREATED BY SOME OF THE TINIEST LIFE FORMS ON OUR PLANET.

♪ THESE MICROSCOPIC ORGANISMS HAVE SURVIVED THROUGH THE WINTER... AND NOW THEY USE THE WARMING WATERS AND SPRING SUNSHINE TO MULTIPLY IN THEIR MILLIONS...

TRANSFORMING THE OCEAN ON A SCALE THAT CAN ONLY BE SEEN FROM SPACE.

ALL ACROSS THE WORLD'S OCEANS, PLANKTON BLOOMS ATTRACT FISH IN HUGE NUMBERS, AND THEIR PREDATORS FOLLOW.

IN THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, THOUSANDS OF SHEARWATERS LAUNCH A SURFACE ATTACK ON VAST SHOALS OF HERRING... ♪ ♪ WHILE BELOW HUMPBACK WHALES GORGE ON UP TO 1.5 TONS OF FISH A DAY.

IN THE SHALLOW SEAS OF SOUTH AFRICA... PLANKTON FEED BILLIONS OF SARDINES...

ATTRACTING ONE OF THE LARGEST GATHERINGS OF PREDATORS ANYWHERE ON PLANET EARTH... ♪ ♪ BUT THESE BLOOMS DON'T JUST SUPPORT OCEAN FOOD CHAINS.

THESE TINY, PLANT-LIKE ORGANISMS PRODUCE UP TO 50% OF OUR PLANET'S OXYGEN... AND SO IT'S NOT JUST FORESTS BUT ALSO THE OCEANS THAT ARE THE LUNGS OF OUR WORLD.

♪ EARTH'S GREATEST NATURAL SPECTACLES AND ALL LIFE ON ITS SURFACE CREATE COLOR... AND THERE IS ONE PLACE THAT IS PERHAPS MORE COLORFUL THAN ANY OTHER.

OFF THE COAST OF AUSTRALIA, A RIBBON OF COLOR STRETCHES FOR OVER 1,400 MILES...

THE LARGEST LIVING STRUCTURE WE CAN SEE FROM SPACE...

THE GREAT BARRIER REEF.

IT'S MADE UP OF 2,900 SEPARATE REEFS... EACH ONE BUILT BY VAST COLONIES OF CORAL.

ITS COLOR IS A SIGN THE REEF IS HEALTHY AND HOME TO THOUSANDS OF SPECIES, SOME OF WHICH ARE SEEN NOWHERE ELSE.

EVERY WINTER, VISITORS EMERGE FROM THE DEEP BLUE... THEIR DISTANT VOICES THE FIRST SIGN THEY WILL APPEAR.

[ANIMAL SQUEAKS] DWARF MINKE WHALES.

[WHALES CLICKING AND WHISTLING] ♪ ONLY DISCOVERED IN THE 1980s, AT UP TO 26 FEET LONG, THEY'RE ONE OF THE LARGEST ANIMALS ON THE REEF.

♪ IT SEEMS THEY LIKE TO SOCIALIZE IN THE SHELTERED WATERS, AND SOME EVEN BRING THEIR NEW CALVES.

♪ ♪ AT JUST 6 FEET LONG, THEY'LL STAY WITH THEIR MOTHERS FOR THE NEXT 6 MONTHS.

♪ BY FITTING THE WHALES WITH SATELLITE TAGS, SCIENTISTS CAN FOLLOW THE WHALES' MOVEMENTS, AND WE HAVE LEARNED THAT THEY SLOWLY HEAD SOUTH, FOLLOWING THE REEF.

♪ MUCH OF THEIR LIFE REMAINS A MYSTERY...

BUT JUST AS WE ARE REVEALING MORE ABOUT THEM, THE FUTURE FOR THE WHALES AND FOR THE REEF IS BECOMING UNCERTAIN.

THE VIEW FROM ABOVE HAS REVEALED THE REEF IS CHANGING.

♪ HERE A SATELLITE IMAGE OF ADELAIDE REEF IN 2016... AND AGAIN IN 2017.

THE REEF IS LOSING ITS COLOR.

♪ CORAL REEFS ARE MADE UP OF 3 DIFFERENT ELEMENTS.

ONE IS THE HARD LIMESTONE SKELETON, THEN THE SOFT CORAL POLYPS THAT LIVE INSIDE THE SKELETON, AND THE THIRD, ALGAE, A MICROSCOPIC PLANT LIKE-ORGANISM THAT GIVES THE CORAL ITS BEAUTIFUL COLOR, BUT THE WATERS SURROUNDING THE REEF ARE NOW GETTING WARMER, AND THIS CAN CAUSE THE TINY, COLORFUL ALGAE IN THE CORAL TO BECOME TOXIC.

♪ THE CORALS ARE STRESSED BY THESE TOXINS, SWELLING UP TO 3 TIMES THEIR NORMAL SIZE... BEFORE EJECTING A CLOUD OF TINY, COLORED ORGANISMS.

♪ ♪ BEAUTIFUL CORAL GARDENS... UNRECOGNIZABLE JUST TWO YEARS LATER.

THE CORAL BECOMES OVERGROWN BY ALGAE.

EVENTUALLY, IT COULD DIE... AND THEN CRUMBLE.

ON THE NORTHERN REEFS, MORE THAN 80% OF THE CORAL HAS BECOME BLEACHED.

THIS HAS TRAGIC CONSEQUENCES FOR MANY OF THE THOUSANDS OF ORGANISMS THAT MAKE THE REEF THEIR HOME.

[WHALE CLICKING] ♪ ♪ WITH UP TO 2/3 OF THE REEF NOW AFFECTED BY BLEACHING, SATELLITES ARE ABLE TO CAPTURE ITS CHANGING COLOR... A POWERFUL TOOL FOR SCIENTISTS STUDYING THIS GREAT MARINE HABITAT AND TO PROTECT ITS VULNERABLE SPECIES.

THE VIEW FROM ABOVE IS PLAYING AN INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT ROLE KEEPING WATCH OVER OUR CHANGING PLANET.

CITY LIGHTS NOW ILLUMINATE MUCH OF THE EARTH'S SURFACE...

BUT BRIGHT COLORED LIGHTS CAN ALSO BE SPOTTED ACROSS THE WORLD'S OCEANS-- A RIBBON OF BLUE IN THE STRAIGHTS OF TAIWAN... A HUGE LINE OF GREEN OFF JAPAN.

IN 2012, A MYSTERIOUS LIGHT SOURCE WAS DISCOVERED OVER 200 MILES OFF THE COAST OF ARGENTINA...

HUNDREDS OF BRIGHT SPOTS...

LINED UP ALONG THE VERY EDGE OF ARGENTINA'S WATERS.

♪ THESE LIGHTS ARE CREATED BY FLEETS OF SQUID FISHING BOATS.

ALL HAVE GATHERED FOR AN OCEAN BONANZA.

♪ EVERY NIGHT ACROSS THE WORLD'S OCEANS, MILLIONS OF SQUID RISE FROM THE DEEP TO FEED NEAR THE SURFACE... ♪ NAVIGATING UPWARDS FROM THE DARK TOWARD THE LIGHT OF THE MOON.

♪ ♪ HERE IN ARGENTINA, FISHERMEN TAKE ADVANTAGE BY FLOODING THE OCEAN WITH POWERFUL ELECTRIC LIGHT, MIMICKING THE MOON AND DRAWING THE SQUID TO THEIR BOATS.

FISHING IN THIS WAY IS PERMITTED IN INTERNATIONAL WATERS, BUT OVERFISHING IS LEADING TO MANY SPECIES BECOMING ENDANGERED.

ARGENTINE COAST GUARD SHIPS POLICE THESE WATERS.

PRACTICING NIGHTLY DRILLS MEANS THEY ARE ALWAYS READY TO INTERCEPT ILLEGAL BOATS... A HUGE CHALLENGE FOR CAPTAIN CARLOS APABLAZA.

THERE CAN BE AS MANY AS 400 HUNDRED BOATS HERE ACROSS A VAST AREA OF OCEAN.

THEY ARE ALL REQUIRED TO CARRY A SATELLITE BEACON SO THE CAPTAIN CAN KEEP TRACK OF THEM.

♪ ♪ [SPEAKING SPANISH] A NEW SATELLITE UPDATE COMES IN.

[RADIO CHATTER] A ROGUE FISHING BOAT HAS TURNED OFF ITS SATELLITE BEACON IN AN ATTEMPT TO GO OFF GRID.

IT WAS LAST SEEN HEADING TOWARDS ARGENTINIAN WATER.

[ALARM RINGING] CAPTAIN APABLAZA SETS A COURSE TO INTERCEPT THE ROGUE VESSEL, BUT IT LOOKS AS IF THE BOAT HAS ALSO TURNED OFF ITS FISHING LIGHTS, ATTEMPTING TO SNEAK OVER THE BORDER UNSEEN, WHERE THE SQUID ARE PLENTIFUL.

IN THE NIGHT, THERE'S A REAL RISK OF COLLISION.

♪ [HORN BLOWING] ♪ IT LOOKS LIKE THE FISHING BOAT HAS ESCAPED THEM.

[MAN SPEAKING SPANISH ON RADIO] [PINGING] SUDDENLY, THEIR LUCK CHANGES.

A NEWLY UPDATED SATELLITE PICTURE HAS RELOCATED THE ROGUE VESSEL.

BY ANALYZING PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN FROM SPACE, IT'S NOW POSSIBLE TO SPOT THE LIGHTS OF A SINGLE BOAT AWAY FROM THE FLEET.

♪ CAPTAIN APABLAZA ORDERS HIS CREW TO ISSUE A WARNING.

THIS IS ARGENTINE COAST GUARD SHIP PREFECTO DEREBES CALLING YOU.

OVER.

♪ ♪ [MAN SPEAKING SPANISH ON RADIO] [CREW MEMBER SPEAKING SPANISH] NARRATOR: THIS IS OFTEN ENOUGH TO PERSUADE ROGUE VESSELS TO CHANGE COURSE AWAY FROM ARGENTINIAN WATERS AND BACK TO THE FLEET.

♪ ♪ SATELLITE TECHNOLOGY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER TO HELP COMBAT ILLEGAL FISHING... AND KEEP OUR OCEANS HEALTHY.

♪ HUMANS HAVE FOREVER CHANGED THE COLORS WE CAN SEE ON OUR PLANET... AND ONE IS SPREADING FASTER THAN ANY OTHER, THE GRAY OF CITIES.

IN THE LAST 40 YEARS, LAS VEGAS HAS TRIPLED IN SIZE... ITS SUBURBS SPRAWLING INTO THE NEVADA DESERT.

TOKYO IS NOW HOME TO MORE PEOPLE THAN ANY OTHER CITY ON EARTH.

38 MILLION LIVE HERE.

AS THE GRAY OF CONCRETE SPREADS, NATURE IS BEING PUSHED OUT.

CHENNAI IS ONE OF INDIA'S LARGEST CITIES WITH OVER 68,000 PEOPLE PER SQUARE MILE, LEAVING LITTLE SPACE FOR NATURE, BUT NOT EVERYTHING HERE IS GRAY.

[BIRDS CHIRPING AND SQUAWKING] WILD PARAKEETS.

IN THIS EVER-GROWING CITY, ONE MAN HAS MADE ROOM FOR WILDLIFE.

15 YEARS AGO, JOSEPH SEKAR SAW A PAIR OF PARAKEETS STRUGGLING TO FIND FOOD IN THE CITY STREETS.

HE DECIDED TO PUT OUT SOME RICE.

OTHERS CAME, SO EACH DAY, HE PUT OUT EVEN MORE.

NOW EVERY DAY, HE AND HIS GRANDDAUGHTERS PREPARE THEIR ROOFTOP... [GIRLS GIGGLING] FOR THE ARRIVAL OF 4,000 BIRDS.

♪ ♪ JOSEPH SPENDS NEARLY 50% OF HIS INCOME ON FEEDING THE PARAKEETS.

THEY COME TWICE A DAY WITHOUT FAIL.

JOSEPH HAS NOT ONLY GIVEN A LIFELINE TO THESE BIRDS WHEN THEY MOST NEEDED IT.

HE HAS BROUGHT A LITTLE BIT OF COLOR BACK INTO THE GRAY CITY STREETS.

♪ ♪ AS THE GRAY OF OUR CITIES SPREADS, HOW MUCH DIFFERENCE CAN ONE PERSON REALLY MAKE?

JOSEPH'S ACTIONS MAY BE ON A SMALL SCALE... HIS ONE GREEN ROOFTOP BARELY VISIBLE FROM ABOVE, BUT IF MORE OF US FOLLOWED HIS EXAMPLE, OUR CITIES WOULD BE A LOT LESS GRAY.

♪ 60 YEARS AGO, SCIENTISTS WERE NOT SURE THAT EARTH'S SURFACE COULD EVEN BE SEEN CLEARLY FROM SPACE.

THEY THOUGHT THAT DUST IN THE ATMOSPHERE WOULD MASK THE OCEANS AND CONTINENTS...

BUT NEW TECHNOLOGY HAS FOREVER CHANGED THE WAY WE SEE OUR PLANET.

FROM ABOVE, COLORS HAVE LED TO NEW DISCOVERIES, REVEALING WHERE LIFE IS THRIVING... AND, CRUCIALLY, WHERE THE NATURAL WORLD IS UNDER THREAT... AND AS HUMANS CONTINUE TO INFLUENCE THE PLANET, NEVER HAS IT BEEN MORE IMPORTANT TO PROTECT OUR COLORFUL HOME.

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VISIT SHOP.PBS.ORG OR CALL 1-800-PLAY-PBS ALSO AVAILABLE ON AMAZON PRIME VIDEO ♪ ♪♪ VO: Next time on Life From Above...

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This new perspective is transforming our understanding of the natural world.

Discover the incredible tapestry of our planet... As you've never seen it before.