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July 9, 2009
Lung Liu is a portrait and documentary photographer based in Montreal, Canada. His project entitled Abandoned is about the Salton Sea in Southern California. This was once a resort destination for the rich and famous, but now it is an ecological disaster, abandoned and neglected.
Lung Liu Dead Palms, Salton Sea, circa 2007
It is fed by agricultural runoff and the highly polluted New River. The sea’s lack of outflow results in increasing salinity and bacterial levels as well as algal blooms that kill all but the hardiest of fish. These dead fish have, in turn, severely affected the area’s massive bird population. The smell of the polution and algal blooms coupled with the dead fish and birds have significantly curtailed the area’s tourism.
Lung Liu Abandoned vehicle in submerged city, Salton Sea, circa 2007
Resources such as fresh water that can help save the sea from further environmental damage are diverted to nearby areas such as Palm Springs. Needless to say, the future of the Salton Sea is bleak.
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that is ecological devastation.