'Water: Our Thirsty World' displays global challenges of H2O

Brown with sediment loosed by seasonal rains, Australia’s King River snakes through the coastal mudflats of the Kimberley, a remote northwestern region. In the dry months of May to September, the 76-mile meander lies bare.

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Theo Allofs, CorbisAustralia, 2006, courtesy Aquarium of the Pacific

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In Shekana, Ethiopia, Halike Berisha (left) must fill her jug from a contaminated reservoir. Access to clean water is not solely a rural problem, but the challenges of delivering it are most daunting in remote places. Ethopia, 2009

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Lynn Johnson, National Geographic magazine, courtesy Aquarium of the Pacific

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India’s holiest river, the Ganges, is scribbled with light from floating oil lamps during the Ganga Dussehra festival in Haridwar. Hindus near death often bathe in the river; some are later cremated beside it and have their ashes scattered in its depths.

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John Stanmeyer, VII India, 2009, courtesy Aquarium of the Pacific

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The Maya believed natural wells, such as the Xkeken cenote in Mexico’s Yucatán, led to the underworld. Water flows through human existence, scribing a line between life and death.

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John Stanmeyer, VII Mexico, 2009, courtesy Aquarium of the Pacific

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While California's drought drags on, a new show at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach shows the complicated state of water around the world.

While California's drought drags on, a new show at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach puts the need for water in a global perspective.

"Water: Our Thirsty World" features the works of photographers from National Geographic magazine.

Host Alex Cohen recently caught up with Jerry Schubel, president and CEO of Aquarium of the Pacific, for a look at the exhibition.

To listen to the full interview, click on the blue audio player above.