Byw am Byth Arctig Gwyllt Iolo Williams

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-A land of extremes.

-Where fire and ice clash.

-Ancient mountains

-give way to lush forests.

-A forgotten wilderness...

-..dazzling in its diversity.

-Seasons of darkness

-and perpetual light...

-..reveal life

-thriving against all odds.

-In a place this brutal...

-..every creature

-must expect the unexpected.

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-Life in Scandinavia

-is full of danger.

-Differences in temperature between

-winter and summer are extreme.

-The land itself

-is unpredictable and unstable.

-It's a region of Arctic cold...

-..and rock-melting heat.

-But life has developed extraordinary

-strategies for survival.

-The earth's raw power and beauty

-go hand in hand.

-The extreme chill

-has a tight grip on the land.

-In the highlands of northern

-Iceland, temperatures can plummet...

-..to minus-39 degrees Celsius.

-The Arctic fox braves the chill.

-It's about the same size

-as a domestic cat...

-..but its thick coat

-makes it look much bigger.

-A stubby nose and short ears

-enables it to conserve heat...

-..as does its amazing ability

-to reduce blood flow...

-..to the body's exposed areas.

-But the real secret is its fur...

-..which covers its entire body,

-including the soles of its feet.

-In winter,

-the fox's fur trebles in length...

-..giving it the warmest coat

-in the animal kingdom.

-It can survive weather that would

-kill most mammals within minutes.

-If the weather worsens, the fox can

-just curl up into a furry ball...

-..and wait

-for conditions to improve.

-The northernmost reaches

-of the Arctic Circle...

-..bear the harshest winters.

-This area is vast.

-Spanning the globe from the

-frozen shores of North America...

-..to the Russian border...

-..comprising of five countries...

-..and nearly 100,000km of coastline

-make up Scandinavia.

-Over the millennia,

-the landscape has been squeezed...

-..by colossal corridors of ice

-and collisions of the earth's crust.

-In Iceland,

-the landscape itself is unstable.

-Where underground waterways

-meet lava floes...

-..boiling water turns to steam

-and explodes from the ground.

-500 kilometres west, lands formed

-hundreds of millions of years ago...

-..are home to creatures

-that have changed very little...

-..since prehistoric times.

-Scandinavia's tallest peaks are

-found on the earth's largest island.

-Greenland, where some of the

-world's most experienced climbers...

-..are heading to its peaks.

-Musk oxen

-are made for the mountains.

-They can tolerate wind chills

-of minus-60 degrees...

-..due to a soft brown fleece,

-several times warmer than wool.

-Their winter coats allow them to

-adopt an unusual survival strategy.

-Instead of taking cover

-in high winds...

-..they spend

-much of the winter on high ground.

-Up here, driving winds

-blow away most of the snow...

-..making it easier for the musk ox

-eat the grass underneath.

-They produce just enough energy

-to keep them moving and keep warm.

-Only exceptional animals

-can survive in these parts.

-On the low plains of Iceland...

-..a remote huddle

-of more recent immigrants emerge.

-The Icelandic horse

-has a turbulent past.

-These animals' ancestors

-were brought here...

-..by Vikings

-more than 1,000 years ago.

-They endure a climate

-that would kill regular horses.

-In a hundred generations, they have

-developed into a unique breed.

-They have adapted to

-the harshest conditions on earth.

-During these winter months,

-days are short.

-Fading daylight

-forces temperatures even lower.

-The darkening skies bear witness

-to a very different storm.

-To some Arctic peoples...

-..these Northern Lights...

-..are the spirits of dead seals,

-whales and caribou.

-But the Aurora Borealis is caused

-by storms on the sun's surface.

-Huge plasma flares

-create solar winds...

-..that collide with our atmosphere.

-These invisible energy streams...

-..get pushed towards

-the South and North Poles.

-The result is nature's

-version of neon lights.

-A single display can unleash

-as much electrical power...

-..as the United States uses

-in a single day.

-Not many creatures are around

-to witness this spectacle.

-Because Iceland is so remote...

-..there are

-very few animal species here.

-Some birds have settled here...

-..and a few rodent species

-imported by humans.

-The only native land mammal

-is the Arctic fox.

-Its ancestors were stranded in

-Iceland at the end of the Ice Age.

-Calmer weather gives the fox

-a chance to forage for food.

-It's a resourceful hunter.

-But winter means that good meals

-are few and far between.

-A rock ptarmigan

-will make a tasty snack.

-It's one of the few birds

-to remain inland during winter.

-Feathered feet act as snow shoes.

-It's a master of disguise.

-Pure white plumage makes it

-all but invisible to the fox.

-Come spring, when the snow melts...

-..it will change

-to a mottled brown colour.

-On the mainland, most Arctic foxes

-also grow pure white winter coats...

-..but this remote island's

-population is different.

-With no natural predators, there's

-little need for winter camouflage.

-This is why most foxes here retain

-their dark colour all year long.

-But dark coats

-make them visible in the snow.

-So the ptarmigan

-has plenty of warning.

-With so little prey available...

-..starvation is a perpetual threat

-for the Arctic fox.

-It often buries leftovers

-in case of emergency.

-But finding its stash

-after a snowstorm is very difficult.

-Persistence finally pays off.

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-Iceland is home to...

-..one of the greatest concentrations

-of volcanoes in the world.

-Major eruptions occur here

-every five years on average.

-Deep underground,

-things are beginning to stir.

-Small earthquakes are more frequent.

-The mountains

-are starting to awaken.

-2,000km east, a very different

-landscape provides refuge.

-Finland's vast woodlands...

-..offer shelter and food

-for a variety of wildlife.

-The red fox

-thrives amongst the trees.

-Just as in Iceland,

-hidden stashes of food...

-..make all the difference

-between life and death.

-For many predators,

-small mammals like lemmings...

-..are an important food source.

-The lemming

-relies on the snow to hide.

-His cosy underground den

-is lined with leaves and feathers.

-Hibernation isn't essential.

-But with predators all around, life

-for smaller creatures is perilous.

-It's best not to spend

-too much time out in the open.

-The hawk owl's beady eye

-sees everything.

-Next time it may not be so lucky.

-The Eurasian lynx

-also has his eye on the lemming.

-Extremely rare and secretive...

-..the lynx inhabits high forests

-all across the northern hemisphere.

-It's a confident tree climber

-and can even swim...

-..although in this bitter season,

-water is best avoided.

-A raven could be an easy target...

-..if the lynx

-can just get close enough.

-Some things are best left alone.

-The lynx has more of a problem

-to contend with.

-Competition.

-The forest is home to the wolverine.

-It's a close relation to the weasel.

-Though it has

-an innocent, cuddly appearance...

-..the wolverine

-is a ferocious animal.

-Weighing up to 20 kilos,

-it has boundless energy.

-It marks its territory carefully.

-Its potential prey is any animal

-that wanders into its territory.

-Anything from rabbits and birds

-to reindeer and elk are fair game.

-Ravens have a good chance of a meal

-when a wolverine is nearby.

-Casualties of the cold provide a

-ready supply of food for any hunter.

-The wolverine

-will never share its prize.

-The lynx is deep inside

-the wolverine's territory.

-It keeps a respectful distance.

-The lynx watches, biding its time.

-There's no rush.

-The fading light

-prompts the lynx to make its move.

-The wolverine

-is usually nocturnal...

-..but during winter nights, it hunts

-and sleeps in four-hour shifts.

-It checks its larder

-one more time and leaves.

-For the lynx, it's an easy steal.

-In more southerly regions,

-snow and ice slowly melt...

-..in the March sun.

-The prospect of warmer weather...

-..heralds an influx of

-Scandinavia's part-time residents.

-Northernmost countries provide a

-home to millions of migratory birds.

-But migration patterns are changing.

-Global warming is altering

-the timing of the seasons.

-Birds seem to be adapting. They

-arrive slightly earlier each year.

-In Iceland, thousands

-of black-legged kittiwakes...

-..descend upon

-the Hornstrandir cliffs.

-Precarious perches are constructed

-from seaweed and grass...

-..and glued to rocks with saliva.

-Pairs often reunite annually.

-They take turns in guarding eggs...

-..and hunting for small fish.

-A long-legged traveller lands in

-the Swedish wetlands - the crane.

-From their winter vacation

-in East Africa...

-..they've journeyed across the

-Middle East and eastern Europe...

-..to reach this spot, covering

-a distance of more than 7,000km.

-The long journey

-leads to short tempers.

-RAUCOUS SQUAWKING

-They soon get down

-to the serious business of mating.

-Synchronised honking and strutting

-bring them together.

-The female yields

-by opening her wings.

-It's a ritual that has lasted

-for thousands of years.

-Nearby, flowing water

-is a lifeline for some creatures.

-The otter and the dipper

-rely on streams and rivers...

-..for their food supply.

-The otter's sleek outer coat

-is of fine hair...

-..covered in oil.

-The hairs lie flat

-during swimming...

-..trapping

-an insulating layer of air...

-..and keeping

-the inner fur and skin dry.

-The dipper

-uses a different method to stay dry.

-By splashing around, the tiny bird

-coats its feathers with oil.

-It can see underwater.

-A quick glance beneath the surface

-and the dipper spots its target.

-It takes the plunge.

-Crustaceans and larvae

-are sources of protein.

-The Eurasian otter's high metabolism

-calls for a heftier diet.

-It must eat up to 15%

-of its bodyweight every day.

-The cold makes

-fish and crayfish easy pickings.

-If things get scarce underwater...

-..then rodents

-and even birds are on the menu.

-Life is far from easy

-for the crane in Sweden.

-The birds arrived early, but

-the weather is so unpredictable...

-..this year's spring is late.

-They are

-laying their eggs on time...

-..but it's still far too cold.

-In these freezing temperatures...

-..the eggs

-have no chance of hatching.

-Despite the crane's best efforts,

-its work is in vain.

-The survival of these birds...

-..may depend on their ability

-to adapt to their changing world.

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-Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano

-has exploded into life...

-..hurling 750 tons of pulverised

-rock into the air every second.

-The two sections of the earth's

-crust on which it sits...

-..are slowly separating, releasing

-magma and steam from deep within.

-Pulverised rock

-scorches everything in its wake.

-Vegetation is suffocated.

-The dense ash cloud blocks sunlight

-for hundreds of kilometres...

-..and brings Europe's

-air traffic to a standstill.

-Iceland is, quite literally,

-being torn apart.

-It resembles

-the surface of the moon.

-For animals living

-in the shadow of the volcano...

-..this eruption could prove fatal.

-The ash contains toxic chemicals

-and shards of volcanic glass.

-With this much ash on the ground...

-..the horses cannot graze

-they will have to move or starve.

-North of the Arctic Circle...

-..Greenland's skies...

-are filled with little auks.

-At just 20cm long, they're one of

-the smallest seabirds of the North.

-Each year, the auks

-return to the same breeding grounds.

-As they arrive, couples usually

-reoccupy the previous year's nest.

-Good nesting spots

-are fiercely defended.

-Once their territorial disputes

-are settled...

-..they can concentrate

-on more important matters.

-The auks have thrived

-in this rugged land.

-More than 30 million of them

-come to Greenland to breed.

-But they will only remain here

-for a few months.

-Greenland, the world's largest

-island, is sparsely populated.

-80% of the island is blanketed

-by a massive layer of ice...

-..equivalent to 1.7

-million square kilometres...

-..and over a kilometre deep.

-Under sufficient pressure,

-ice flows.

-And Greenland's rivers of ice,

-the glaciers, are accelerating.

-That may be down to

-the temperature rising.

-Some of them

-flow as fast as 20m every day...

-..as they move to the coast.

-Here, the glaciers shatter

-and collapse into the sea.

-Few creatures

-survive this harsh landscape.

-But one has become an expert.

-The polar bear is the world's

-largest land predator...

-..but it mainly hunts on the ice...

-..using its expertise to hunt seals.

-It's believed polar bears

-have descended from brown bears...

-..that became isolated

-by glaciers during the Ice Age.

-They've managed

-to adapt and thrive.

-White fur provides camouflage while

-their bulk and a layer of fat...

-..stop them from freezing.

-They can smell prey

-up to 40 kilometres away...

-..and rip it apart

-with their sharp teeth and claws.

-This powerful hunter

-leads a precarious existence.

-Its survival depends on regular

-movements of ice and prey.

-The sea is full of ice remnants.

-In recent years, icebergs

-are becoming more numerous...

-..and some are huge.

-In 2010, a chunk of ice measuring

-over 250 square kilometres...

-..sheared off from a glacier

-and headed out to sea.

-These floating icebergs flow with

-the current, sometimes for months...

-..before slowly melting away.

-If all Greenland's ice cap

-were to thaw...

-..it would raise the earth's oceans

-by more than six metres.

-Warmer winters and seas...

-..mean that the North's snow and ice

-are vanishing at an increasing rate.

-In some places,

-land is being exposed...

-..for the first time

-in thousands of years.

-In Iceland, a thaw is also underway.

-The volcano is still active.

-The eruptions

-may disrupt life for humans...

-..but here,

-they're part of the natural order.

-Much of the ash

-is dispersed by the wind...

-..preventing large areas

-from becoming contaminated.

-In the aftermath of a disaster,

-life returns quickly.

-The first plants to reappear...

-..push their roots down through the

-toxic ash and into the soil below.

-In just a few years, this wilderness

-will be covered with vegetation.

-In the north of the island...

-..receding ice brings a more

-varied menu for the Arctic fox.

-When food is scarce,

-foxes leave their territories...

-..to forage further afield.

-For some, winter coats are already

-giving way to shorter, summer fur.

-He has a better chance of survival

-on his own.

-Although they mate for life...

-..pairs may be driven many miles

-apart in their search for food.

-A measly mussel

-won't fill an empty stomach.

-With spring temperatures

-reaching 10 degrees Celsius...

-..it's time for the male fox

-to start breeding again.

-It's time to rekindle his passion.

-WAILS

-This pair has probably

-produced cubs in the past.

-It's a happy reunion

-but they're not alone.

-Another vixen is nearby.

-Strangers aren't welcome...

-..so these foxes

-must know one another.

-She's probably a daughter

-from last year's litter.

-Right now, three's a crowd.

-If the mating is successful...

-..up to 18 cubs

-should arrive in a few weeks.

-They will be brought up

-by both parents.

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-Near the mainland's forests,

-temperatures are on the rise.

-The snow and ice

-make way for the tundra.

-It's time for the black grouse

-to find a partner.

-It's decided by a fight.

-This is a grouse duel.

-In an open-air arena.

-Males battle ferociously...

-..sometimes over only

-a few square metres of land.

-But it's more than just a fight.

-A crowd gathers.

-Including a number of females.

-The victor claims its prize.

-By early June, life in the lowlands

-of Finland is in full bloom.

-Despite

-sometimes hunting in packs...

-..lemmings usually prefer

-a solitary lifestyle.

-The popular story that lemmings

-engage in mass suicide is pure myth.

-These rodents are on the move,

-but they're not looking for cliffs.

-They're looking for mates.

-The huge variation in temperature

-between winter and summer...

-..presents a challenge

-to almost all life here.

-The crane that migrated early

-has lost its eggs to the cold.

-For one late arrival,

-the warmer weather provides hope.

-But life is far from simple

-for this jaunty traveller.

-A red fox

-is searching for his next meal.

-Soaring temperatures...

-..make the marshland a perfect

-breeding ground for insects.

-If her chicks are going to hatch,

-the crane must stay on the nest.

-The flies are problematic.

-Across much of Scandinavia,

-heat rather than ice...

-..is causing problems.

-A few months back, Norway's peaks

-and valleys were snow covered.

-Now, temperatures

-are reaching 30 degrees Celsius.

-This country...

-..sees some of the greatest

-variations in temperature on earth.

-Bad news for musk oxen.

-They are still wearing

-their winter coats.

-In these temperatures,

-overheating can be fatal.

-The answer? A dip in a cool lake.

-It might get rid

-of the nasty smell too!

-Male musk oxen have a pungent smell.

-The scent

-is attractive to a female.

-In the north of Iceland,

-kittiwakes are taking the plunge.

-With much of their life spent at

-sea, a freshwater bath is a treat.

-But their squawking

-has attracted attention.

-A fox family, including

-offspring with rare white coats.

-Seabirds

-are a ready meal for the foxes.

-But there are guardians nearby.

-With the nest nearby...

-..these swans prevent the fox

-from having a clear route.

-But the fox is determined.

-In the nearby foothills...

-..other creatures

-are celebrating their survival.

-The wild horses have survived

-the volcano and found grazing land.

-A bit of ash isn't going to

-deter these resilient animals.

-They are used to danger.

-Ice, fast-flowing rivers,

-quicksand as well as volcanoes.

-Only the strongest have survived.

-These horses are much hardier

-than their southern relatives.

-At last, there may be fresh meat

-on the menu for the foxes.

-They've managed

-to surround the kittiwakes.

-The birds know they're safe if they

-stay in the middle of the water.

-But a sick bird stays on land.

-The fox seizes its chance.

-In Finland, perseverance

-also produces results.

-A new generation of cranes

-has emerged.

-In the wild lands of the North,

-change is the only constant.

-The landscape and climate...

-..will always pose a challenge.

-Life adapts and thrives...

-..surviving

-in the most unlikely places...

-..against seemingly impossible odds.

-In these wild lands

-forged by fire and ice...

-..the raw power of nature

-has never been so vivid.

-S4C Subtitles by Adnod Cyf.

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