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[David Attenborough] Just 50 years ago,
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00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:26,276
we finally ventured to the moon.
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00:00:40,331 --> 00:00:45,837
For the very first time,
we looked back at our own planet.
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00:00:53,344 --> 00:00:58,683
Since then, the human population
has more than doubled.
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This series will celebrate
the natural wonders that remain,
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and reveal what we must preserve
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to ensure people and nature thrive.
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The polar regions of our planet
may seem beyond the reach of most of us,
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but they are not beyond our influence.
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00:02:00,578 --> 00:02:05,458
We, unintentionally,
are changing these frozen worlds,
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and these changes
will not just affect the poles
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but the whole planet.
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Antarctica.
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The southern end of our planet,
and the coldest place on Earth.
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It has been frozen for 30 million years.
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In its center, the covering of ice
is over four kilometers thick.
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Entire mountain ranges
are buried beneath it.
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Here, it is so cold that each winter
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19 million square kilometers of ocean
freezes,
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more than doubling
the size of the ice cap.
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But when, in spring, the sea ice melts,
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life returns once again
to the continent's shores.
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The peninsula that stretches north
towards South America
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is the first part of it
to be released from winter's grip.
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As the sea ice breaks up,
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life returns.
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[gulls cawing]
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There is a greater variety
of living creatures here
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than anywhere else in Antarctica.
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Gentoo penguins
spend most of their lives at sea,
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but now, in spring,
they have to come ashore to breed.
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They're the fastest of all penguins
in water,
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but on land,
life takes on a slower pace.
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It's an uphill struggle
to reach their nesting grounds...
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[penguins honking]
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...but penguins never give up.
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The paths they follow,
carved by thousands of tiny footsteps,
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lead to Antarctica's rarest commodity.
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Bare rock.
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Less than one percent of Antarctica
is ice-free,
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and these rocky patches
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are the only places
where gentoos can lay their eggs.
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It's been a 30-minute struggle,
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but he's almost at the top,
where his mate is waiting for him.
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[honking]
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He presents her with a stone,
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a gift to improve the nest
and so win her favor.
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[both honking]
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He's back just in time.
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There's another mouth to feed.
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[chirrups]
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Gentoo penguins used to be rare
in this part of Antarctica,
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but now, as temperatures rise,
their numbers here are increasing.
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Sea ice may appear to be flat
and lifeless,
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but beneath it there is another world.
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As the ice melts,
the light filters through,
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and algae, that have been trapped
within the ice all winter, flourish.
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This upside-down world
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is the polar equivalent
of the great grasslands.
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The ice is the soil
upon which plant life grows,
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and the herds of grazers soon arrive.
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Antarctic krill.
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Trillions of them swarm
in the waters around Antarctica.
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Protected by the ice above,
they graze on algae whilst the sun shines.
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But the good times don't last long.
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Once all the ice has melted,
the krill lose their protection,
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and predators appear.
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Penguins may have lost
their ability to fly,
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but they still form flocks,
as so many birds do.
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The longer they dive,
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the longer it takes them
to catch their breath.
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Ruffling their feathers traps air,
which makes their bodies more streamlined.
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One last breath...
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and the whole group dives down together.
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The gentoos follow the krill
down to depths of over 200 meters.
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What a flock can catch in one dive,
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a giant traps in a single mouthful.
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Humpback whales from the tropics
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have traveled
over 8,000 kilometers to get here.
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This one chooses to feed alone.
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This technique, part lunge, part pounce,
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only works when the krill
are close to the surface.
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As more humpbacks arrive,
they begin to work in teams.
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By lunging together,
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the overspill from one huge mouth
is not lost but collected by another.
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Some humpbacks regularly work
in an even more coordinated way.
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They do so
when krill has descended to some depth.
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Once in position,
they blast air from their blowholes.
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Working together,
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they create a curtain of bubbles
around their prey.
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As the spiraling net tightens,
the krill are driven closer together,
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and then the whales lunge upwards
and collect them.
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Almost all humpback whales
in the southern hemisphere
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come to the Antarctic to feed on krill.
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Since the ban on commercial whaling,
their numbers have recovered dramatically,
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but their food supply is now under threat.
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In the last 50 years,
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with warming temperatures
and disappearing sea ice,
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krill stocks
in this part of the Southern Ocean
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have more than halved.
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Other sea hunters come here
seeking bigger prey than krill.
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Antarctica's top predators.
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Orca, killer whales.
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Over half of the world's orca
patrol these polar seas.
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This particular pod
specializes in hunting penguins.
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They shift into stealth mode.
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Hunting without making a sound,
so that their prey won't hear them coming.
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A penguin can outmaneuver
a single killer whale,
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but it can seldom escape a pod.
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This hunt may seem cruel,
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but important life skills
are being passed down the generations.
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From killer whales to krill,
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all life here ultimately depends
upon Antarctica's sea ice.
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The seas that surround Antarctica
are the roughest on our planet.
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These churning waters
draw up nutrients from the deep
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and create vast, rich fishing grounds
for nomads like the wandering albatross.
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Beneath the waves,
currents are flowing away from Antarctica,
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transporting nutrients across the planet,
fertilizing the oceans
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and helping to regulate
global temperatures.
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The island of South Georgia.
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It's far enough north
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to be beyond the reach of the sea ice
even in midwinter,
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and many animals live here
the year round.
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This wandering albatross chick
has been sitting on its nest all winter,
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and is entirely dependent
on its parents returning with food.
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It may have to wait a few days
between meals, or even a couple of weeks,
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00:20:23,013 --> 00:20:26,266
but at least
it's not the only one who's waiting.
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00:20:30,187 --> 00:20:34,566
Albatross chicks need to spend
a whole year growing
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before they're ready
to take their first flight.
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00:20:44,910 --> 00:20:50,332
And then they spend several years at sea
before they return to land.
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[honking]
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Coming in to land
on three-meter wings takes some practice.
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Albatross don't have reverse thrusters.
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[chirping]
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The chick
is this female's first.
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She's been raising it for six months,
and has another six to go.
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00:21:51,685 --> 00:21:54,354
Her chick is smaller than it should be,
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a sign that her mate
has not been returning with food.
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00:22:00,277 --> 00:22:03,196
He may well have been
one of the many that die,
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entangled on longline fishing lines.
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South Georgia is an ideal place
for wanderers to raise their young,
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but now fewer adults
are returning here to nest,
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00:22:21,631 --> 00:22:22,883
and in recent years,
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the breeding population
has declined by 40 percent.
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For now, waiting on its nest,
the chick is safe.
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There are no land predators here.
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But the same cannot be said
for South Georgia's seas.
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Giant kelp flourishes
in these ice-free waters.
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The perfect place for an ambush.
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00:23:17,979 --> 00:23:22,776
Leopard seals overwinter here
to escape Antarctica's frozen ocean.
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00:23:25,737 --> 00:23:27,989
They should have returned south by now,
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00:23:30,367 --> 00:23:32,536
but this year they've stayed longer.
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00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:42,129
And they've delayed their departure
for good reason.
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There are king penguins here.
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Each is a substantial meal,
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if you can catch it.
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00:24:11,158 --> 00:24:12,742
Returning to feed their chicks,
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the kings have no choice
but to run the gauntlet.
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00:24:24,254 --> 00:24:26,423
Kings rarely porpoise like this.
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00:24:28,550 --> 00:24:32,804
It uses more energy,
but it's faster than traveling underwater.
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It's hard to select a moving target
in a panicking crowd,
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but if there are stragglers,
the odds change.
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Razor-sharp teeth versus a stabbing beak.
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It's stalemate.
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00:26:14,990 --> 00:26:17,659
Both are exhausted after the chase.
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The hunter decides that the meal
is not worth the fight.
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[cawing]
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For the penguin,
it was too close for comfort,
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00:26:44,853 --> 00:26:49,357
but that was just the first hurdle
in getting back to feed its chick.
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[cawing]
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It isn't going to be
a walk in the park.
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[elephant seals snoring]
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Luckily, penguin is not on their menu.
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00:27:35,320 --> 00:27:38,782
Still, it's best
to let sleeping giants lie.
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[penguin honks]
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Elephant seal females
don't take kindly
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to being disturbed from their slumber,
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00:27:59,386 --> 00:28:03,306
but it's the four-tonne males
you need to look out for.
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[rasping grunting]
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They are fighting
for access to the females.
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Getting bulldozed under angry blubber
is to be avoided at all costs.
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An escape route.
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00:28:48,059 --> 00:28:49,144
Time to run for it.
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00:29:01,573 --> 00:29:03,992
At last, he's reached the nursery.
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00:29:06,411 --> 00:29:08,830
Now comes his final challenge.
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00:29:11,124 --> 00:29:14,836
Finding his chick
in the crowd of half a million.
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00:29:19,215 --> 00:29:20,383
He calls...
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00:29:21,009 --> 00:29:22,761
[cawing]
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...and listens
for a recognizable reply.
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[chirping]
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His chick could be
another mile or two away,
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00:29:45,033 --> 00:29:46,367
at the back of the colony.
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00:29:50,830 --> 00:29:52,624
But that's the trouble with chicks.
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00:29:53,208 --> 00:29:54,918
They're never where you left them.
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00:29:57,295 --> 00:29:59,547
Astonishingly, in all this racket,
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a parent and its chick
can recognize each other's calls.
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[chirping]
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00:30:13,603 --> 00:30:17,065
The things parents go through
to deliver a meal.
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00:30:20,360 --> 00:30:21,694
If only they knew.
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00:30:29,285 --> 00:30:31,079
For such a small island,
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00:30:31,246 --> 00:30:35,166
South Georgia supports
an extraordinary quantity of life.
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00:30:40,004 --> 00:30:43,174
All these creatures
ultimately depend on the krill
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00:30:43,508 --> 00:30:46,845
that develops under the sea ice
around the Antarctic peninsula.
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00:30:49,889 --> 00:30:51,391
With sea ice disappearing,
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00:30:51,891 --> 00:30:55,144
so South Georgia's future
is far from certain.
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00:31:11,202 --> 00:31:13,705
At the other end of the planet,
in the north,
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00:31:14,414 --> 00:31:18,877
the effects of climate change
are being felt even more intensely.
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00:31:21,045 --> 00:31:24,090
The Arctic is not a continent
surrounded by sea
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00:31:25,425 --> 00:31:28,261
but a frozen ocean ringed by land.
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00:31:32,307 --> 00:31:37,228
Here, in spring, the sea ice
is still at its maximum extent.
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00:31:42,734 --> 00:31:48,948
It's a vast, firm hunting ground
for the planet's largest land carnivore.
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A male polar bear
in search of his next meal
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00:32:04,505 --> 00:32:08,551
on the frozen fjords of Svalbard
in the high Arctic.
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00:32:13,139 --> 00:32:16,893
He's looking for seals,
which make up the bulk of his diet.
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00:32:24,525 --> 00:32:28,488
He must eat two-thirds
of the food he needs for the whole year
216
00:32:28,780 --> 00:32:33,117
before the ice melts
and his hunting platform disappears.
217
00:33:06,734 --> 00:33:11,739
The ringed seal mother had no choice
but to leave her pup alone on the surface.
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00:33:22,417 --> 00:33:26,879
In the past, she would have built a den
inside a ridge on the ice,
219
00:33:28,589 --> 00:33:32,427
but now the sea freezes so late
that the ice is flat,
220
00:33:32,927 --> 00:33:36,389
and she had to leave her pup
out in the open.
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00:33:47,358 --> 00:33:51,237
These changes in the ice
may benefit the bears for now,
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00:33:51,779 --> 00:33:53,448
but in the long term,
223
00:33:53,531 --> 00:33:56,909
a crash in their most important prey
will follow.
224
00:34:01,039 --> 00:34:05,626
This new, flatter ice
makes life difficult for the bears, too.
225
00:34:06,502 --> 00:34:10,423
There's nowhere for them to hide
in order to creep up on a seal.
226
00:34:15,136 --> 00:34:20,141
And for a mother with a young cub in tow,
being stealthy isn't easy.
227
00:34:36,324 --> 00:34:39,535
The cub doesn't yet appreciate
the need for care
228
00:34:41,287 --> 00:34:43,206
when sneaking up on a seal.
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00:34:45,917 --> 00:34:48,127
With fewer seals hiding in dens,
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00:34:48,336 --> 00:34:51,756
learning this pounding technique,
once so useful,
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00:34:52,840 --> 00:34:54,425
is now almost pointless.
232
00:35:06,229 --> 00:35:10,858
Still, at least he's discovered
what a seal hole looks like..
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00:35:22,370 --> 00:35:26,916
His mother knows that overcast conditions
are good for hunting,
234
00:35:28,543 --> 00:35:30,837
and he knows when she's serious.
235
00:35:39,303 --> 00:35:42,223
Adult seals make a much better meal.
236
00:35:54,026 --> 00:35:57,238
Her cub carefully treads in her footsteps,
237
00:35:59,574 --> 00:36:02,285
and takes care not to break her outline.
238
00:36:06,622 --> 00:36:08,791
Neither must put a foot wrong.
239
00:36:15,756 --> 00:36:18,176
They must move as one.
240
00:36:44,577 --> 00:36:47,538
Most seal hunts end in failure.
241
00:36:55,171 --> 00:36:57,215
The bears must keep searching.
242
00:37:01,344 --> 00:37:03,554
Her cub wanders off,
243
00:37:06,182 --> 00:37:07,850
and gets another chance.
244
00:37:18,611 --> 00:37:21,447
A seal pup alone on the ice.
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00:37:26,327 --> 00:37:29,330
[seal pup whimpering]
246
00:37:32,166 --> 00:37:36,754
Now it's not stealth
that is needed, but confidence.
247
00:37:41,842 --> 00:37:43,886
There's nothing the mother can do,
248
00:37:46,472 --> 00:37:50,559
except hope that the pup makes it
back to her hole in time.
249
00:37:51,811 --> 00:37:52,811
[whimpers]
250
00:37:58,150 --> 00:38:00,987
The inexperienced young hunter
hesitates.
251
00:38:11,330 --> 00:38:12,873
Its mother knows better.
252
00:38:36,939 --> 00:38:38,941
Safe under the ice.
253
00:38:44,947 --> 00:38:50,536
Polar bears are adaptable predators,
but they rely on sea ice.
254
00:38:52,455 --> 00:38:56,125
If that disappears, so will the bears.
255
00:39:10,222 --> 00:39:13,768
Summer at the ice edge
in the Canadian Arctic,
256
00:39:14,352 --> 00:39:18,189
and the annual retreat of sea ice
is well underway.
257
00:39:27,782 --> 00:39:30,701
As it melts, nomads arrive.
258
00:39:50,304 --> 00:39:54,433
Narwhal, the origin of the unicorn legend.
259
00:39:55,267 --> 00:40:01,190
Their three-meter tusk is, in fact,
no more than an overgrown canine tooth,
260
00:40:02,149 --> 00:40:06,362
but its exact function,
like so much about narwhals,
261
00:40:06,695 --> 00:40:08,948
is still, in part, a mystery.
262
00:40:14,662 --> 00:40:18,374
Each summer, narwhals travel
to the same part of the Arctic,
263
00:40:18,749 --> 00:40:23,129
and patiently wait at the ice edge
for a crack to open up.
264
00:40:26,173 --> 00:40:30,136
A lead in the ice,
wide enough for them to swim along.
265
00:40:43,441 --> 00:40:45,568
Eventually, a crack appears.
266
00:40:47,903 --> 00:40:50,906
Their passage to sheltered, shallow bays.
267
00:41:12,261 --> 00:41:16,849
Narwhals are extremely timid
and rarely filmed underwater.
268
00:41:44,835 --> 00:41:49,340
These ice whales eagerly travel
down the leads as soon as they open
269
00:41:49,548 --> 00:41:52,718
because they're safer from predators
protected by the ice.
270
00:42:01,560 --> 00:42:05,439
The leads may also give them access
to new feeding grounds.
271
00:42:18,786 --> 00:42:20,579
Sea ice is not just crucial
272
00:42:20,663 --> 00:42:23,707
to the lives of those creatures
that live around the poles.
273
00:42:25,709 --> 00:42:30,381
It plays a vital role in determining
the climate of the whole planet.
274
00:42:33,551 --> 00:42:36,136
A white surface keeps the earth cool
275
00:42:36,387 --> 00:42:40,307
by reflecting most of the sun's energy
back into space.
276
00:42:50,693 --> 00:42:52,903
A dark surface does the opposite,
277
00:42:53,904 --> 00:42:56,824
absorbing over 90 percent
of the sun's energy
278
00:42:57,199 --> 00:42:58,826
and so warming the earth.
279
00:43:03,372 --> 00:43:04,707
As the sea ice shrinks,
280
00:43:04,999 --> 00:43:09,795
we're starting to lose one of our planet's
protective white shields.
281
00:43:13,966 --> 00:43:15,384
For thousands of years,
282
00:43:15,593 --> 00:43:19,430
there's been a balance
in the advance and retreat of the sea ice,
283
00:43:20,180 --> 00:43:21,807
but that is no longer the case.
284
00:43:22,558 --> 00:43:24,685
Today, during the summer months,
285
00:43:24,935 --> 00:43:30,065
there is 40 percent less sea ice cover
than there was in 1980.
286
00:43:39,533 --> 00:43:44,288
The Arctic is warming twice as fast
as anywhere else on our planet.
287
00:43:45,247 --> 00:43:50,210
By 2040, the ocean here
will be largely free of ice
288
00:43:50,419 --> 00:43:51,754
during the summer months.
289
00:44:09,229 --> 00:44:14,193
This loss of ice will inevitably
have devastating consequences
290
00:44:14,526 --> 00:44:16,737
for all those that still depend on it.
291
00:44:21,158 --> 00:44:23,369
[birds cawing]
292
00:44:30,167 --> 00:44:33,504
The far northeastern coast
of Russia.
293
00:44:36,340 --> 00:44:38,342
[grunting]
294
00:44:50,437 --> 00:44:55,651
This is the largest gathering
of walrus on the planet.
295
00:45:06,912 --> 00:45:12,251
Over a hundred thousand have hauled out
on one single beach.
296
00:45:19,925 --> 00:45:23,846
They do so out of desperation,
not out of choice.
297
00:45:27,766 --> 00:45:31,186
Their natural home is out on the sea ice.
298
00:45:38,152 --> 00:45:41,071
But the ice has retreated
away to the north,
299
00:45:42,740 --> 00:45:46,368
and this is the closest place
to their feeding grounds,
300
00:45:46,618 --> 00:45:48,036
where they can find rest.
301
00:46:02,885 --> 00:46:05,929
This calf must stay close to its mother.
302
00:46:14,521 --> 00:46:17,524
But every square inch is occupied.
303
00:46:27,159 --> 00:46:29,077
[grunting]
304
00:46:37,085 --> 00:46:39,880
Climbing over
the tightly packed bodies
305
00:46:39,963 --> 00:46:42,382
is the only way across the crowd.
306
00:46:44,968 --> 00:46:47,429
Those beneath can get crushed to death.
307
00:46:55,896 --> 00:46:58,398
A stampede can occur out of nowhere.
308
00:47:20,420 --> 00:47:25,717
Under these conditions,
walruses are a danger to themselves.
309
00:47:31,557 --> 00:47:35,435
Some manage to find space
away from the crowds.
310
00:47:40,941 --> 00:47:43,652
They struggle up the 80-meter cliffs,
311
00:47:49,533 --> 00:47:54,788
an extraordinary challenge
for a one-tonne animal used to sea ice.
312
00:48:08,135 --> 00:48:10,929
At least up here there's space to rest.
313
00:48:18,729 --> 00:48:21,523
A walrus's eyesight out of water is poor,
314
00:48:23,609 --> 00:48:26,153
but they can sense the others down below.
315
00:48:31,742 --> 00:48:35,454
As they get hungry,
they need to return to the sea.
316
00:49:22,084 --> 00:49:24,252
In their desperation to do so,
317
00:49:24,836 --> 00:49:28,840
hundreds fall from heights
they should never have scaled.
318
00:50:30,902 --> 00:50:36,616
These mass gatherings of walrus
are now happening almost every year.
319
00:50:43,790 --> 00:50:49,421
So the lives of walruses,
like those of polar bears and seals,
320
00:50:49,796 --> 00:50:50,796
are changing.
321
00:50:53,216 --> 00:50:56,636
All are living at the frontier
of climate change,
322
00:50:58,722 --> 00:51:01,391
and all are suffering as a consequence.
323
00:51:20,035 --> 00:51:26,333
For now, the Arctic winter returns
and the sea ice reforms.
324
00:51:28,543 --> 00:51:30,670
Order is restored.
325
00:51:34,800 --> 00:51:39,262
Relief for the many creatures
that depend on the ice.
326
00:51:52,567 --> 00:51:54,277
But for how much longer
327
00:51:54,653 --> 00:52:00,200
will their frozen worlds
be a part of life on our planet?
328
00:52:18,385 --> 00:52:20,470
Please visit ourplanet.com
329
00:52:20,762 --> 00:52:25,183
to discover what we need to do now
to keep the polar wilderness.
330
00:52:27,727 --> 00:52:33,567
♪ I can hear the whole world
Singing together ♪
331
00:52:36,278 --> 00:52:42,117
♪ I can hear the whole world
Say it's now or never ♪
332
00:52:44,953 --> 00:52:49,332
♪ 'Cause it's not too late
If we change our ways ♪
333
00:52:49,416 --> 00:52:52,919
♪ And connect the dots to our problems ♪
334
00:52:53,253 --> 00:52:59,009
♪ I can hear the whole world
Say we're in this together ♪
335
00:52:59,426 --> 00:53:01,094
♪ We're in this together ♪
30020
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