Frozen Planet

Episode
Episode Six - The Last Frontier
Broadcast Info
2011 (58 mins)
Description
In the last frontier we reveal the extraordinary riches and wonders of the polar regions, that have people coming here for thousands of years. Today their survival relies on a combination of ancient wisdom and cutting edge science. Most Arctic people live in Siberia, either in cities like Norilsk - the coldest city on earth, or out on the tundra where tribes like the Dolgan survive by herding reindeer, using them to drag their homes behind them. On the coast, traditional people still hunt walrus from open boats - it’s dangerous work but one big walrus will feed a family for weeks. Today settlers are drawn to the Arctic by its abundant minerals: the Danish Armed Forces maintain their claim to Greenland’s mineral wealth with an epic dog sled patrol, covering 2000 miles through the winter. Above, the spectacular Northern lights can disrupt power supplies so scientists monitor it constantly, firing rockets into it to release a cloud of glowing smoke, 100 kilometres high. In contrast, Antarctica is so remote and cold that it was only a century ago that the first people explored the continent. Captain Scott’s hut still stands as a memorial to these men. Today science is the only significant human activity allowed: robot submarines are sent deep benearth the ice in search of new life-forms, which may also be found in the labyrinth of ice caves high up on an active volcano. Above, colossal balloons are launched into the purest air on earth to detect cosmic rays. At the South Pole there is a research base designed to withstand the world’s most extreme winters. Cut off from the outside world for 6 months, the base is totally self-sufficient, even boasting a greenhouse.
Genre
Research; Natural History; Climate

How to cite this record

The Open University, "Frozen Planet". https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/ou/search/index.php/prog/82167 (Accessed 01 Jul 2025)