Lake Mead’s drought exposed parts of the lake bed that were once 175 feet underwater. Areas that had been too deep for scuba diving became walkable. The experience felt quiet, vast, and unsettling.

On a barge in lake mead, in Nevada, under a scorching sun, Dave Conlin pulled on long underwear, wool socks and a fleece jacket and pants. He donned an insulated drysuit over all that, strapped two ...

If you want to know how bad the drought has been in the American West, there are so many powerful symbols, like Lake Mead, a huge reservoir outside Las Vegas. Water levels there have plummeted, and ...