0:00:35 > 0:00:38The polar regions are more hostile
0:00:38 > 0:00:40to life than any other part of the Earth.
0:00:45 > 0:00:52Human beings have little natural protection against the cold,
0:00:52 > 0:00:54so why, for thousands of years,
0:00:54 > 0:00:57have we endured the hardships that come from living here?
0:00:59 > 0:01:02And what keeps us coming back today,
0:01:02 > 0:01:04to the farthest extremes of our planet?
0:01:22 > 0:01:26Winter in the most northerly town on Earth, Longyearbyen.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32Here, for three months of the year, the sun never rises.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39Only the full moon, which never sets as far north as this,
0:01:39 > 0:01:41sheds any light into the darkness.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57This town was built here in Svalbard,
0:01:57 > 0:02:02only 700 miles from the North Pole, to support a mine.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07The Arctic is rich in coal, oil and minerals.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16In Siberia, the Russian Arctic,
0:02:16 > 0:02:19the mineral wealth has given rise to large cities.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28This is Norilsk, the coldest city on Earth.
0:02:32 > 0:02:37Temperatures regularly drop to below minus 50 degrees Centigrade.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40Fuel freezes in the tanks of the trucks,
0:02:40 > 0:02:43and has to be melted in a rather alarming way.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53Ships are frozen into the rivers for nine months of the year.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57The ice must be cut away from their hulls
0:02:57 > 0:03:02because steel becomes brittle and vulnerable to the thickening ice.
0:03:05 > 0:03:06Like all Arctic cities,
0:03:06 > 0:03:11Norilsk depends on a power plant which heats everybody's home.
0:03:12 > 0:03:17Waste heat from the plant even keeps a lake ice-free all winter.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20Even at air temperatures of minus 50,
0:03:20 > 0:03:23the Norilsk Walrus Club come here every day.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43There is evidence that a dip in cold water is good for the immune system,
0:03:43 > 0:03:46but when the water is a degree above freezing,
0:03:46 > 0:03:50it's hard to imagine that the benefits could outweigh the pain.
0:04:04 > 0:04:09Today's Arctic city dwellers can lead an almost normal existence
0:04:09 > 0:04:12thanks to technology.
0:04:12 > 0:04:17But towns and cities are very recent arrivals in the polar landscape.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23The polar regions are the least populated part of our planet.
0:04:23 > 0:04:28Most of the Arctic remains empty of human beings.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36In the north, the Pole itself is covered by a freezing ocean.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43Around it lie vast lands, of which Siberia is the largest and coldest.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03Human beings first ventured onto the great plains of Siberia,
0:05:03 > 0:05:07the tundra, thousands of years ago, and some live here still.
0:05:17 > 0:05:22The Dolgan are one of the few tribes who still live in much the same way
0:05:22 > 0:05:24as those first Arctic pioneers.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35They are reindeer people.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37Reindeer are one of few animals
0:05:37 > 0:05:41that can endure these bitterly cold conditions,
0:05:41 > 0:05:45scraping a living by nibbling tiny plants that survive beneath the snow.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52Nobody has ever totally tamed reindeer,
0:05:52 > 0:05:56but today's animals are docile enough to allow the Dolgan
0:05:56 > 0:06:00to drive them across the tundra in an everlasting search for their food.
0:06:18 > 0:06:24This is a typical Dolgan village, home to just two extended families.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40Here, in the coldest part of Arctic, the only way to get water
0:06:40 > 0:06:43for nine months of the year is to melt ice from the frozen rivers.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54At least there's no problem preventing food from decay.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56Outside is one big deep-freeze.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02Survival is only possible because of reindeer fur.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05It makes wonderfully warm clothing,
0:07:05 > 0:07:09though small children still have to be sewn into their clothes
0:07:09 > 0:07:11to prevent instant frostbite.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17The Dolgan even use reindeer fur to insulate their huts.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24This is living at its most communal.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28Good relations with the in-laws are essential.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32Reindeer are so valuable
0:07:32 > 0:07:36that the people only eat them if they have no other choice.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40Their favourite food is raw fish from the frozen rivers.
0:07:43 > 0:07:44Every week or so,
0:07:44 > 0:07:49these families have to travel to find new feeding grounds for their herds.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54First, they round up their strongest animals with lassoes,
0:07:54 > 0:07:57a skill that their ancestors brought with them
0:07:57 > 0:08:00when they came north from Central Asia.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10And then, literally, they move house.
0:08:27 > 0:08:31A whole Dolgan village can move on in just a few hours.
0:08:31 > 0:08:32Over the year,
0:08:32 > 0:08:36they travel hundreds of miles like this across the vast tundra.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59It was the herds of reindeer,
0:08:59 > 0:09:01wandering over the lands of the Arctic,
0:09:01 > 0:09:04that brought the first Dolgan here.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08Other people, however, took on an even greater challenge.
0:09:08 > 0:09:13They left the land and looked for their food out on the frozen sea.
0:09:20 > 0:09:25Here in the shifting world of the sea ice, they found sea mammals.
0:09:59 > 0:10:04Pasha leads a group of Inuit men in Chukotka,
0:10:04 > 0:10:06the North Eastern corner of Russia.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11The men have travelled many hours from home in the bitter cold,
0:10:11 > 0:10:14fighting their way through a dangerous maze.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20These hundred tonne ice floes
0:10:20 > 0:10:23could crush their small boats like eggshells.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41The men have big families,
0:10:41 > 0:10:45and this is the only way they have of feeding them.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52Pasha is looking for the puffs of steamy air produced by their quarry.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57An animal that is bigger than many Arctic whales.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06A two tonne seal with formidable tusks.
0:11:13 > 0:11:14A walrus.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18It's heading for open water. They must reach it before it dives.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27An angry walrus could easily overturn the boats.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39The harpoon sticks firmly in the walrus's thick layer of blubber,
0:11:39 > 0:11:42and floats attached to it prevent the animal from diving.
0:12:00 > 0:12:05Pasha wants to kill quickly with a single clean shot.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20The hunters are exhausted after a long day,
0:12:20 > 0:12:23but they still have a lot more work to do.
0:12:25 > 0:12:30This enormous prize will feed everyone's family for weeks.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40It will take many hours to butcher. Nothing will go to waste.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52The meat is parcelled up in bags made of the animal's skin.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01It's midnight, but the sun is still up.
0:13:03 > 0:13:04Summer is almost here.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14This far north, the seasons change fast,
0:13:14 > 0:13:19the sun is rising higher and growing warmer with each passing day.
0:13:37 > 0:13:42The transformation from winter to summer is so dramatic
0:13:42 > 0:13:45that it dominates the lives of all who live here.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51The ice around the coast has almost disappeared,
0:13:51 > 0:13:55and gone are the seals and walrus that Pasha and his men relied on.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00They set off on another search for food.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09Their destination is an island in the bay.
0:14:16 > 0:14:20Their walrus skin boat is an ancient design,
0:14:20 > 0:14:25light enough to carry high up the beach so it doesn't drift away.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28THEY SPEAK RUSSIAN
0:14:35 > 0:14:39Once again, the men will have to work as a team,
0:14:39 > 0:14:42but one of them will be taking very serious risks.
0:14:48 > 0:14:53The lightest man in the group, Kolya, is also the oldest.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56He will trust his life to a length of old nylon rope
0:14:56 > 0:14:58and the strength of his friends.
0:15:14 > 0:15:19These 100 metre high cliffs are home to thousands of guillemots,
0:15:19 > 0:15:21and Kolya is after their eggs.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30He relies on the men above to lower him to the right place.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37Kolya is tough but his stress is obvious.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41HE SHOUTS IN RUSSIAN
0:15:45 > 0:15:47The men lower Kolya down to the bottom of the cliff,
0:15:47 > 0:15:50and from there, he works his way back up the crumbling rock face.
0:16:08 > 0:16:09Stop!
0:16:23 > 0:16:26This mission will produce no more than about 50 eggs,
0:16:26 > 0:16:29but at least there's no need to carry a packed lunch.
0:16:44 > 0:16:45Over the years,
0:16:45 > 0:16:49many men have fallen to their deaths collecting sea bird eggs.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52This is truly dangerous work.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07These Arctic peoples can't grow crops.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11The frozen ground never thaws to allow them to do so.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15They rely on animals for their food so the chance to collect a few
0:17:15 > 0:17:20dozen eggs has to be taken, even if it means risking your life.
0:17:36 > 0:17:41The change of season has transformed the Arctic's coastline
0:17:41 > 0:17:44and inland, the difference is just as extreme.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52July temperatures on the tundra can be surprisingly high,
0:17:52 > 0:17:54over 30 degrees centigrade.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01Reindeer now move not just to find fresh pasture,
0:18:01 > 0:18:05but also to avoid the summer swarms of blood sucking flies.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10To keep their animals healthy,
0:18:10 > 0:18:13the local herders are driving them to the sea.
0:18:15 > 0:18:20The cooler conditions on the coast bring relief to the herds
0:18:20 > 0:18:22and the chance, every year, for different tribes to meet.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29Pasha and his hunters live close by.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31They've had word of the herders' arrival.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41The hunters' cargo is highly prized for the winter ahead,
0:18:41 > 0:18:43fat-rich walrus meat
0:18:43 > 0:18:46that's been fermenting in the skin bags for two months.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50Today will see an exchange
0:18:50 > 0:18:53that has taken place every summer for centuries.
0:18:54 > 0:18:58The herders barter reindeer skins for walrus meat.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02Pooling their resources has helped these communities
0:19:02 > 0:19:04to survive for so long.
0:19:09 > 0:19:14A fry-up of guillemot eggs is all the better when shared with old friends.
0:19:17 > 0:19:22Summer brings a brief chance for isolated peoples to meet.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26This is an opportunity to exchange news, arrange weddings,
0:19:26 > 0:19:29and tell the latest jokes.
0:19:29 > 0:19:33HE SPEAKS RUSSIAN
0:19:38 > 0:19:41By August, the summer is over.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44Winter arrives only too swiftly, but the peoples of the Arctic,
0:19:44 > 0:19:48who came here originally to hunt, have devised ways to deal with
0:19:48 > 0:19:52the hostile and changing conditions that have stood the test of time.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58Today, there's a new draw to the Arctic.
0:20:06 > 0:20:07This is Greenland,
0:20:07 > 0:20:11a territory of Denmark now known to be rich in oil and precious metals.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27This sled team is part of the Danish Special Forces.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31They're on one of the world's toughest journeys,
0:20:31 > 0:20:33a 2,000 mile patrol
0:20:33 > 0:20:37to maintain Denmark's claim to this valuable wilderness.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44But the patrol's mission is only possible
0:20:44 > 0:20:47with the help of man's oldest Arctic companion.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57Rasmus and Roland have spent the summer months training
0:20:57 > 0:21:01and getting to know their team of Greenland huskies.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05They need to have a very close bond with every single dog.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09This is Roger and Armstrong,
0:21:09 > 0:21:14actually the oldest dog in the whole patrol, but he's still going strong.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21The men are totally dependent on the stamina of their dogs,
0:21:21 > 0:21:23which will keep on running all through the bitter cold
0:21:23 > 0:21:25of the winter.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35This is the last time the team will see the sun for two months.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43The most intelligent dogs always lead,
0:21:43 > 0:21:47choosing the safest route, feeling for hidden crevasses and thin ice.
0:21:58 > 0:22:02This is one of six teams that patrol the whole of northeast Greenland,
0:22:02 > 0:22:06the only people in an empty wilderness that is larger than
0:22:06 > 0:22:08France and Great Britain combined.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16Conditions here are too extreme for current mining technology,
0:22:16 > 0:22:19but someday, ways will be found of digging out
0:22:19 > 0:22:22the huge mineral treasures that lie hidden within these mountains.
0:22:25 > 0:22:31The patrol secures Denmark's claim to do so simply by being here.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45But it's not the prospect of getting rich
0:22:45 > 0:22:47that makes men sign up for this patrol,
0:22:47 > 0:22:51it's the chance for the journey of a lifetime.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54The team travel over the ice for six months,
0:22:54 > 0:22:57covering up to 40 miles in a day.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04Friendship and teamwork are essential if they're to succeed.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10Their dogs can sleep outside no matter how cold it gets.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14Rasmus and Roland have a nice cosy tent.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21They have a few modern conveniences, including a radio,
0:23:21 > 0:23:26with which they report their position back to headquarters in Denmark
0:23:26 > 0:23:28and catch up on the latest news.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34Right now it's the section of money,
0:23:34 > 0:23:38what's new in the economy in Denmark, the financial crisis
0:23:38 > 0:23:42and all the other things that we actually don't care about out here.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46If you can cope with the conditions,
0:23:46 > 0:23:48then winter in the Arctic can be magical,
0:23:48 > 0:23:53especially when the greatest light show on Earth is overhead.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06The first humans in the Arctic believed the Northern Lights,
0:24:06 > 0:24:10or aurora borealis, were dancing spirits.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14Now we know the lights are caused by electrically charged particles
0:24:14 > 0:24:16streaming from the sun,
0:24:16 > 0:24:19attracted by the magnetic pull of the earth's poles.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36A big aurora storm contains enough energy to knock out satellite
0:24:36 > 0:24:41communications and power supplies across the northern hemisphere,
0:24:41 > 0:24:44so understanding the aurora is vital.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53In Alaska, rockets are used to study the Lights.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59A hundred miles up, at the edge of outer space, the rockets
0:24:59 > 0:25:03release a cloud of glowing smoke that's visible from earth.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12The smoke is blown by fierce winds which are generated by the aurora.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20Mapping the movement of the smoke helps scientists to understand
0:25:20 > 0:25:24how this unearthly spectacle affects our atmosphere.
0:25:45 > 0:25:50They constantly monitor the aurora to help protect us
0:25:50 > 0:25:53from its effects, so the rest of us can simply enjoy the magic,
0:25:53 > 0:25:56just as the Arctic's first people must have done,
0:25:56 > 0:25:57thousands of years ago.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16For all the many peoples of the Arctic,
0:26:16 > 0:26:18the aurora is a reminder of the sun's presence
0:26:18 > 0:26:21throughout the dark days of winter.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28But when the sun is below the horizon in the north,
0:26:28 > 0:26:31it's above it at the southern end of our planet.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37Here, humanity's history has been very different.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46Antarctica is far colder than the Arctic,
0:26:46 > 0:26:51and 99% of its land is permanently blanketed by ice.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56Antarctica is so utterly remote
0:26:56 > 0:26:59and inhospitable that no people ever settled here.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06It was only 200 years ago that the first human beings
0:27:06 > 0:27:09even glimpsed the vast continent.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20The first people who crossed the Southern Ocean did
0:27:20 > 0:27:24so for the same reason that the first people went to the Arctic Ocean,
0:27:24 > 0:27:26to hunt sea mammals.
0:27:38 > 0:27:43The populations of whales and seals are only now beginning to
0:27:43 > 0:27:46recover from 150 years of intensive hunting.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04But none of those hunters ever tried
0:28:04 > 0:28:07to venture into the frigid interior of the Antarctic continent.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12The first successful attempt to do that
0:28:12 > 0:28:15was made only a hundred years ago.
0:28:17 > 0:28:18This hut was the base
0:28:18 > 0:28:22for one of the most famous expeditions in polar history.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33It was from here in 1911 that Captain Scott and his team
0:28:33 > 0:28:38launched their attempt to be the first people to reach the South Pole.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45The cold, dry conditions have preserved the interior
0:28:45 > 0:28:49of the hut almost exactly as the expedition members left it.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58Expedition photographer Herbert Ponting
0:28:58 > 0:29:01captured the spirit of the age of exploration.
0:29:06 > 0:29:10These first explorers borrowed the techniques of the Arctic peoples.
0:29:11 > 0:29:17They wore fur gloves and boots and burned seal blubber to keep warm.
0:29:19 > 0:29:23They built sleds based on a traditional Inuit design.
0:29:29 > 0:29:33They even made their sleeping bags from reindeer hide.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42Scott and his men sought the glory of discovery
0:29:42 > 0:29:47in an untouched wilderness, and died in the attempt.
0:29:47 > 0:29:51But he, and those who followed him, were the first to reveal
0:29:51 > 0:29:54the splendour of Antarctica to the rest of the world.
0:30:02 > 0:30:07The lure of adventure still draws intrepid travellers today.
0:30:07 > 0:30:09Like the first explorers,
0:30:09 > 0:30:14most modern visitors come during the brief summer when the cold relents
0:30:14 > 0:30:20enough for the toughest icebreakers to reach the edge of the continent,
0:30:20 > 0:30:22but most still need a helicopter to go further.
0:30:31 > 0:30:35The scenery in Antarctica is magnificent and dramatic,
0:30:35 > 0:30:39but what really attracts people here is the wildlife.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44An emperor penguin colony is a particular highlight.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52Because human beings didn't arrive in the Antarctic
0:30:52 > 0:30:53until the past few centuries,
0:30:53 > 0:30:56the animals have never developed a fear of man.
0:31:00 > 0:31:02But very strict regulations govern
0:31:02 > 0:31:05how close people can approach any wildlife.
0:31:07 > 0:31:08And when visitors leave,
0:31:08 > 0:31:12they must take every trace of their visit away with them.
0:31:39 > 0:31:40Since 1959,
0:31:40 > 0:31:44the whole of Antarctica has been protected by international treaty.
0:31:46 > 0:31:51The nations of the world have agreed that no country can claim Antarctica,
0:31:51 > 0:31:53or prospect for its oil or minerals.
0:31:56 > 0:32:00The only significant human activities allowed here are those that
0:32:00 > 0:32:02extend our scientific knowledge.
0:32:06 > 0:32:10But unlocking Antarctica's secrets requires some unusual tools.
0:32:28 > 0:32:32This brand new robot submarine has been designed to go
0:32:32 > 0:32:35far beyond the limits of any human.
0:32:47 > 0:32:51Today, this diver is putting the sub through its paces
0:32:51 > 0:32:53on one of its very first dives.
0:32:54 > 0:32:58It's designed to be small and nimble enough
0:32:58 > 0:33:02to explore the Antarctic sea bed without damaging it.
0:33:16 > 0:33:21The submarine's mission, as it journeys into the unknown,
0:33:21 > 0:33:25is to map the sea floor and look for species new to science.
0:33:40 > 0:33:42The sea water here is a degree below zero,
0:33:42 > 0:33:45so even the toughest human diver can't stay down for long.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52The submarine will explore deeper under the ice
0:33:52 > 0:33:54than anyone has gone before.
0:33:59 > 0:34:04From the depths of the ocean to the highest peaks of the land,
0:34:04 > 0:34:06new discoveries are being made
0:34:06 > 0:34:09even in places which were first visited over a century ago.
0:34:22 > 0:34:26Mount Erebus was an irresistible draw
0:34:26 > 0:34:28to the legendary explorer Ernest Shackleton.
0:34:28 > 0:34:34In 1908, his men became the first to climb this active volcano.
0:34:34 > 0:34:40They soon discovered that this is the coldest place on the Antarctic coast.
0:34:40 > 0:34:43Today's explorers still have to guard against frostbite
0:34:43 > 0:34:44in the height of summer
0:34:44 > 0:34:48when temperatures rarely creep above minus 30 degrees centigrade.
0:34:54 > 0:34:58Shackleton's men had no idea of the extraordinary spectacle
0:34:58 > 0:35:01that lay beneath their feet.
0:35:06 > 0:35:09- Yep, OK, up on the wall there somewhere now.- Yeah.
0:35:09 > 0:35:14Under the ice and snow is a network of caves,
0:35:14 > 0:35:17which only a handful of expert cavers have ever dared to enter.
0:35:24 > 0:35:29This is the first scientific expedition to explore them in detail.
0:35:34 > 0:35:39Here, there are ice formations that occur nowhere else on Earth.
0:35:42 > 0:35:46Each cave contains its own unique collection of structures.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16The team is mapping the caves
0:36:16 > 0:36:19to see how their shape changes over the years.
0:36:19 > 0:36:22OK, flat side to here.
0:36:30 > 0:36:35That's 126.8 degrees for the angle.
0:36:35 > 0:36:37- 126.8.- Correct.
0:36:37 > 0:36:41The steam leaking from vents in the side of the volcano
0:36:41 > 0:36:44is constantly sculpting this labyrinth that extends deep
0:36:44 > 0:36:45under the ice.
0:36:47 > 0:36:51When the hot breath of the volcano hits the icy walls,
0:36:51 > 0:36:55the moisture in the air freezes into beautiful shapes.
0:37:08 > 0:37:13Some of the crystals are so unusual that the cavers are investigating
0:37:13 > 0:37:17a remote but tantalising possibility about their formation.
0:37:19 > 0:37:22Could it be that some of these extraordinary crystal shapes
0:37:22 > 0:37:27are formed by highly specialised bacteria, living in the ice?
0:37:43 > 0:37:45Nobody yet knows the answer.
0:37:45 > 0:37:49This is just one of the many strange mysteries that draw people to
0:37:49 > 0:37:52work in a place that is so hostile to human life.
0:38:00 > 0:38:05While some scientists come to Erebus to explore its bizarre ice caves,
0:38:05 > 0:38:10others visit the volcano to study the innermost workings of our planet.
0:38:16 > 0:38:20Erebus is one of the most active volcanoes on Earth,
0:38:20 > 0:38:24but even so, volcanologists work on the very rim of its crater.
0:38:26 > 0:38:31They stand in the bitter cold, while 100 metres below them
0:38:31 > 0:38:34is a lava lake where temperatures are over a thousand degrees centigrade.
0:38:38 > 0:38:41This is a rare glimpse of the molten rock
0:38:41 > 0:38:44that lies beneath the earth's crust.
0:38:59 > 0:39:02But research here is looking up as well as down,
0:39:02 > 0:39:06measuring how the gases that bubble out of the volcano
0:39:06 > 0:39:09influence the make-up of the air we breathe.
0:39:12 > 0:39:17Antarctica is the best place to measure any changes in our atmosphere
0:39:17 > 0:39:21because it has the least polluted air on Earth.
0:39:22 > 0:39:27It's also the perfect place to launch more outward-looking missions.
0:39:33 > 0:39:37This balloon, made of material no thicker than Clingfilm,
0:39:37 > 0:39:40will eventually grow to be 300 metres tall.
0:39:43 > 0:39:47It will carry a device for detecting cosmic rays,
0:39:47 > 0:39:50tiny particles from the beginning of time
0:39:50 > 0:39:53that are only now reaching earth.
0:40:03 > 0:40:08The balloon will travel to the very edge of outer space
0:40:08 > 0:40:12to gather clues about the formation of the universe.
0:40:21 > 0:40:26Even today, very few ever make the journey inland from the coast.
0:40:27 > 0:40:32We still know remarkably little about the interior of the continent.
0:40:33 > 0:40:35The people on this plane
0:40:35 > 0:40:38are trying to answer one of the fundamental questions.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41How much ice is there in Antarctica?
0:40:47 > 0:40:50They measure the depth of the ice sheet,
0:40:50 > 0:40:54which is over 4,000 metres in places, using radar.
0:40:56 > 0:40:59Their work will enable us to see
0:40:59 > 0:41:02how the volume of Antarctica's ice changes in the future.
0:41:03 > 0:41:07It also makes it possible to map a hidden landscape.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23This plane is following the same route
0:41:23 > 0:41:25through the Trans-Antarctic Mountains
0:41:25 > 0:41:29that Captain Scott took a hundred years ago.
0:41:29 > 0:41:34His team hauled their sleds over a hundred miles up this glacier,
0:41:34 > 0:41:35the Beardmore.
0:41:41 > 0:41:46Skirting seemingly endless crevasses, with no map to guide them
0:41:46 > 0:41:51and no idea of what lay ahead, it was a journey of extraordinary suffering.
0:42:02 > 0:42:04Their target lay beyond the mountains,
0:42:04 > 0:42:10over 3,000 metres above sea level, on the Antarctic Plateau.
0:42:16 > 0:42:20An unbroken sheet of ice, larger than Western Europe,
0:42:20 > 0:42:24this is the coldest, the windiest, the most lifeless place on Earth.
0:42:29 > 0:42:34Roald Amundsen's team narrowly defeated Scott's to become
0:42:34 > 0:42:40the first people to reach the South Pole on the 14th of December 1911.
0:42:41 > 0:42:44Nobody else successfully completed the journey
0:42:44 > 0:42:47for nearly 50 years after that.
0:42:51 > 0:42:56But, since 1957, there has been a permanent base at the South Pole.
0:42:56 > 0:42:58You can even land a plane on the ice runway.
0:43:01 > 0:43:05The early explorers would be astounded by the facilities
0:43:05 > 0:43:07at the South Pole today.
0:43:10 > 0:43:12Construction work isn't easy
0:43:12 > 0:43:16when the average summer temperature is minus 25 degrees Centigrade.
0:43:17 > 0:43:21But, despite the difficulties, the most hi-tech scientific research
0:43:21 > 0:43:25station ever built was unveiled here in 2006.
0:43:31 > 0:43:35The brand new Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station is designed to
0:43:35 > 0:43:39cope with the world's most extreme conditions.
0:43:39 > 0:43:45The building's sloping edge deflects the prevailing wind.
0:43:45 > 0:43:48Beneath, there are stilts that can raise the whole building
0:43:48 > 0:43:51a further eight metres to keep it above the accumulating snow.
0:44:00 > 0:44:04Living inside is as close to being on a space-station
0:44:04 > 0:44:06as you can find on Earth.
0:44:06 > 0:44:10This base is totally self-sufficient, the people are completely
0:44:10 > 0:44:15cut off from the outside world for more than half the year over winter.
0:44:22 > 0:44:26The total darkness makes this the perfect place to study the night sky.
0:44:34 > 0:44:39The group of star gazers will be the most isolated community on our
0:44:39 > 0:44:42planet, but they will have all their needs catered for.
0:44:47 > 0:44:52There is even a greenhouse where fresh vegetables grow under
0:44:52 > 0:44:56artificial light all through the darkest, coldest winter anywhere.
0:45:13 > 0:45:16The sun sets in March at the South Pole,
0:45:16 > 0:45:18and won't rise again for six months.
0:45:24 > 0:45:29For a few days at this time of year, high altitude clouds of ice crystals
0:45:29 > 0:45:31continue to catch the sunlight,
0:45:31 > 0:45:34even when the sun itself is far below the horizon.
0:45:51 > 0:45:54But soon all trace of the sun disappears,
0:45:54 > 0:46:00and today's over-wintering scientists remember the first explorers.
0:46:04 > 0:46:08These men, who endured the winter in flimsy wooden huts,
0:46:08 > 0:46:12borrowed knowledge from the Arctic pioneers before them,
0:46:12 > 0:46:16but they came here to study and explore,
0:46:16 > 0:46:18rather than to hunt or exploit.
0:46:18 > 0:46:20They embodied the human spirit
0:46:20 > 0:46:23that has enabled us to survive at the poles.
0:46:29 > 0:46:33Here, we are pushed to our limits, but in being pushed, humanity has
0:46:33 > 0:46:38achieved the extraordinary and opened up the last frontier.
0:46:56 > 0:47:00To tell the story of how we survive at the Poles, Frozen Planet
0:47:00 > 0:47:03travelled to Siberia, the far north of Russia,
0:47:03 > 0:47:06where most of the Arctic's people live.
0:47:09 > 0:47:12The team got to know many extraordinary people.
0:47:14 > 0:47:18But one group of men above all really opened their eyes to what it means
0:47:18 > 0:47:23to live off the land in the most unforgiving environment on earth.
0:47:25 > 0:47:28Men who take their life in their hands everyday,
0:47:28 > 0:47:29just to find their food.
0:47:41 > 0:47:43Producer, Dan Rees,
0:47:43 > 0:47:47led the Frozen Planet team on their longest journey in the Arctic.
0:47:49 > 0:47:51Their mission was to film walrus hunters
0:47:51 > 0:47:54in Russia's most remote region, Chukotka,
0:47:54 > 0:47:57the closest point to their old enemy the United States,
0:47:57 > 0:48:004,000 miles and nine time zones east of Moscow.
0:48:03 > 0:48:06It's still a sensitive region, and the team soon learn
0:48:06 > 0:48:10that the border guards remain twitchy about foreigners with cameras.
0:48:10 > 0:48:12GUARD: Nyet! Nyet!
0:48:17 > 0:48:18To get permission to film,
0:48:18 > 0:48:21the crew relied on anthropologist Niobe Thompson,
0:48:21 > 0:48:24one of the few westerners to have worked with the people here.
0:48:27 > 0:48:30But even Niobe finds a lot of doors closed to him.
0:48:32 > 0:48:38I have experienced a level of red tape I never could have anticipated.
0:48:38 > 0:48:41We've got our Russian visas in our passports,
0:48:41 > 0:48:43that's fine, but that's just the beginning.
0:48:43 > 0:48:47Here is the special permission given by the security services to
0:48:47 > 0:48:50be in the region of Chukotka,
0:48:50 > 0:48:54a special permission to be in every one of the population centres
0:48:54 > 0:48:56we will visit on our trip,
0:48:56 > 0:49:00permission to shoot with a telephoto lens,
0:49:00 > 0:49:05permission to shoot from a helicopter,
0:49:05 > 0:49:09permission to shoot in a natural reserve,
0:49:09 > 0:49:12but we still don't have our migration cards.
0:49:12 > 0:49:15I'm trying to get them, and if we don't get them by the end of the day
0:49:15 > 0:49:17we're going to be deported back to Alaska,
0:49:17 > 0:49:19it'll take three months to get new ones.
0:49:19 > 0:49:21Niobe's paper chase takes two days,
0:49:21 > 0:49:24but finally the team is allowed to begin their journey
0:49:24 > 0:49:26to the hunters' camp.
0:49:26 > 0:49:29With no roads, sometimes the only passable route is over
0:49:29 > 0:49:33the fast melting surfaces of the lakes.
0:49:43 > 0:49:44OK?
0:49:49 > 0:49:51They need to be prepared for a quick exit.
0:49:59 > 0:50:03The next day, the crew finally reach the coast.
0:50:03 > 0:50:06The hunting camp is now just 30 miles away across a bay,
0:50:06 > 0:50:08but the crossing could be risky.
0:50:08 > 0:50:13The frozen sea is melting fast in the spring sunshine.
0:50:18 > 0:50:21Confident it's safe? It's not going to break underneath us?
0:50:21 > 0:50:24Is that the decision, 50/50?
0:50:24 > 0:50:2650/50!
0:50:26 > 0:50:29The locals employ several generations of arctic transport,
0:50:29 > 0:50:32from the ancient to the merely antique.
0:50:36 > 0:50:41With the sea ice cracking up beneath them, Dan has to trust the crew
0:50:41 > 0:50:44and a ton of filming gear to the experience of the locals.
0:50:46 > 0:50:49Even by their standards this was fast becoming a risky journey.
0:50:55 > 0:50:59Where the first sleds crossed just minutes before is now impassable.
0:51:05 > 0:51:08It's broken right up, we can't cross the leads in the ice here,
0:51:08 > 0:51:10so we need to get on some boats,
0:51:10 > 0:51:13and the ice is just breaking up too fast for us at the moment.
0:51:13 > 0:51:16Fortunately, the hunters from the camp turn up in the nick of time
0:51:16 > 0:51:20to rescue the crew for the final leg of the journey.
0:51:30 > 0:51:33Six days and 5,000 miles from home,
0:51:33 > 0:51:36the crew finally arrive at the place
0:51:36 > 0:51:38that will be their home for the next month.
0:51:45 > 0:51:48This is an active hunting camp and, that evening, the team
0:51:48 > 0:51:52are introduced to the realities of fending for yourself in the Arctic.
0:51:55 > 0:51:57Well, we've just seen a walrus hunt
0:51:57 > 0:52:01out here in the waters of the Bering Sea.
0:52:01 > 0:52:03All the meat will be eaten,
0:52:03 > 0:52:05they eat an awful lot of the internal organs as well,
0:52:05 > 0:52:08they use the skin, they use the sinews,
0:52:08 > 0:52:10they use the stomach for making drums,
0:52:10 > 0:52:12so it'll get used very heavily
0:52:12 > 0:52:18and it is completely free-range, you know, wild caught animal.
0:52:19 > 0:52:24You can't grow any vegetables up here, but sea mammal meat contains
0:52:24 > 0:52:29all the nutrients the hunters need and is very low in cholesterol.
0:52:29 > 0:52:32Dan is keen to try some of Kolya's health food.
0:52:32 > 0:52:37Well, this is yesterday's seal and a chunk of flesh there,
0:52:37 > 0:52:39behind it is some intestine.
0:52:39 > 0:52:42We should try a bit.
0:52:42 > 0:52:44That's seal intestine.
0:52:48 > 0:52:51It's quite fishy. Fishy, fishy rubber.
0:52:51 > 0:52:53That's not too bad.
0:52:53 > 0:52:55I thought it was going to be more disgusting than it actually is.
0:52:55 > 0:52:59- The salt helps.- Yeah.
0:52:59 > 0:53:02Would he like to try what we eat? It's chicken, chicken korma.
0:53:02 > 0:53:04No?
0:53:04 > 0:53:08I don't blame you to be honest, yours is much better!
0:53:14 > 0:53:16As well as providing food,
0:53:16 > 0:53:20the animals here traditionally provided transport.
0:53:20 > 0:53:22Kolya and Pasha, the oldest hunters,
0:53:22 > 0:53:26keep alive the skill of building walrus skin boats.
0:53:26 > 0:53:29You don't need a welding torch to repair this boat,
0:53:29 > 0:53:33just a juicy lump of seal fat to bung any holes.
0:53:35 > 0:53:37By living amongst them,
0:53:37 > 0:53:40the crew had really begun to get to know the hunters,
0:53:40 > 0:53:43but there was one big part of their lives which remained a mystery.
0:53:47 > 0:53:49As spring turns to summer,
0:53:49 > 0:53:52the hunters head out to an island to gather sea bird eggs.
0:53:52 > 0:53:55The crew had heard stories of this,
0:53:55 > 0:53:58but had little idea of what it was going to involve.
0:54:00 > 0:54:04That's where they climb, those are impressive heights.
0:54:04 > 0:54:05Quite something.
0:54:09 > 0:54:11For cameraman Ted Giffords,
0:54:11 > 0:54:15this was the first sight of the rock face he was about to work on.
0:54:19 > 0:54:23These cliffs can be treacherous, as Kolya, the expert egg collector,
0:54:23 > 0:54:24knows only too well.
0:54:51 > 0:54:54Ted will rely on steel stakes for anchors
0:54:54 > 0:54:57and an array of climbing gear and ropes.
0:54:58 > 0:55:02Kolya preferred to stick with the simpler method
0:55:02 > 0:55:04that has served him well for many years.
0:55:10 > 0:55:14The crew can't quite believe what they're seeing.
0:55:20 > 0:55:25If he fell on that, that would be absolutely horrendous.
0:55:25 > 0:55:29It's...yeah, it's a bit sketchy, and the rope is only about that thick.
0:55:29 > 0:55:31It's an interesting method.
0:55:33 > 0:55:35The limestone cliff is loose and crumbling
0:55:35 > 0:55:38because of hundreds of years of freezing and thawing.
0:55:40 > 0:55:44Even for a highly trained professional climber like Ted,
0:55:44 > 0:55:45it's a dangerous descent.
0:55:55 > 0:56:00Kolya has been climbing here for four decades, but this is the first time
0:56:00 > 0:56:03he's had company, and sometimes he forgets that Ted is just below him.
0:56:07 > 0:56:11Climbing supervisor Adam Scott holds his breath as he watches.
0:56:11 > 0:56:16A fall to the rocks 100 metres below would almost certainly be fatal.
0:56:25 > 0:56:29This is the most hardcore thing I've ever seen.
0:56:34 > 0:56:37It was when the team returned to the boat to finish filming
0:56:37 > 0:56:40that they got their most spectacular view of the lengths
0:56:40 > 0:56:42Kolya was going to to get his dinner.
0:56:47 > 0:56:51This shot sent the team home with a fresh perspective and a deep
0:56:51 > 0:56:57respect for these people who still live off the land in the Arctic.
0:56:57 > 0:57:01A way of life for which there is no safety net.
0:57:30 > 0:57:33Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd