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00:00In a realm of snow and ice, water transforms into nature's most powerful sculptor, from fragile
00:18snowflakes to towering glaciers. It shapes landscapes and lives, driving epic journeys, extraordinary
00:36adaptations, and crowning rulers. This is the magic of frozen water.
00:59Take a dive into our planet's mesmerizing world of water, from the monumental open ocean to
01:13the rugged coasts that serve as the dividing line between two worlds, from the changing
01:21rivers that carve through continents, to mysterious lakes and swamps. Immerse yourself in the magic
01:35that unfolds, as we reveal the secrets of our enchanted waters.
01:59Water shapes life in the most unexpected ways. When seasons change, and temperatures plummet,
02:12water takes on its mightiest persona. Building frozen empires, and influencing everything
02:21in its path. Water in its solid state even has the power to create an entirely new species,
02:34and then turn it invisible.
02:39This female polar bear is conserving her energy. She has thrived throughout the long, dark winter.
02:54But now, as temperatures steadily rise, her kingdom of ice is disappearing.
03:04She needs to make the most of the frozen water, while she still can.
03:11Soon, the sea ice will melt along with her hunting advantage.
03:23Even the greatest apex predators struggle to find the motivation to get going.
03:29But her inertia is not due to the cold. She was born for these conditions.
03:41Her ancestors diverged from brown bears. When a small population was trapped in the north,
03:58as the ice age descended. They had to adapt to survive. And fast.
04:11Over the next 500,000 years, the frozen realm gradually transformed those brown bears into the polar bears that now roam the far north.
04:25The iconic Arctic residents we see today are the result of one of the fastest evolutionary changes amongst all mammals.
04:40To endure the deep freeze, wandering foragers became masterful hunters.
04:47Forged by ice and guided by instinct, lumbering land animals were streamlined to fit their new semi-aquatic lifestyle.
05:03And to combat the cold, extra layers of fur grew with a crucial additional feature.
05:18Each hair has a hollow core, offering life-saving insulation.
05:25As a result, their ancestral brown fur lost its pigment and turned translucent.
05:35Blending in seamlessly with their winter wonderland.
05:40Now, having perfectly evolved to life in the Arctic, this polar bear needs the sea to freeze over, so she can use the ice as a platform for hunting her primary prey.
06:00But, as it begins to fracture, just finding food is a monumental challenge.
06:15She may have to swim hundreds of miles in search of a meal.
06:20Until, finally, she picks up a scent.
06:35A bearded seal hauled out on an ice flow.
06:42The melting ice means her journey across the sea may be more unstable.
06:50But it also offers her the opportunity for an ambush.
07:05Her sleek shape makes her an efficient swimmer, with her huge, paddle-like paws pushing her silently through the water.
07:30She can't risk being spotted.
07:37Her smooth movements mimic the floating ice.
07:43Silently, she fully submerges in the water.
07:53And swims under the ice.
07:58For the ultimate sneak attack.
08:04Even an ice queen can't win every time.
08:29With one shake of her water-resistant fur, she'll be dry in no time.
08:48Every failed hunt costs her valuable energy.
08:52And time is running out.
08:55When summer peaks, most of her ice will disappear.
08:59And she'll be forced to return to dry land.
09:03Left to scavenge whatever scraps she can find until the freeze returns.
09:09This seasonal thaw brings hardship for the polar bears.
09:18But every year, it is this great melt that breathes life back into the Arctic.
09:24Igniting an entire food chain.
09:28For much of the year, the Arctic is a frozen wilderness.
09:43But beneath the ice lies a hidden secret.
09:49Waiting for the sun to unlock its potential.
09:56After the darkness of winter, spring approaches.
10:01It's still well below freezing.
10:04But the daylight hours are getting longer.
10:08And the sun's force is increasing.
10:14Then a pivotal moment arrives.
10:19And the balance is tipped.
10:23The sun's power becomes just strong enough to set off a chain of events that will bring new life to the Arctic.
10:35Underneath the sea's frozen surface, the ice has been stained green by algae.
10:41A tiny marine plant.
10:45Like all plants, they use photosynthesis to turn sunlight into food.
10:52Which in turn stirs another creature from its winter torpor.
10:58The copepod.
11:02These tiny marine crustaceans, less than a tenth of an inch long, rise up from the depths.
11:13Despite their diminutive size, these creatures are the key to all life in the polar regions.
11:22They devour the algae in their millions.
11:27This transfers the sun's energy to the copepods.
11:32Where it's stored in their bodies as a fatty oil.
11:38Now, locked beneath the ice within the copepods, lies a store of pure, bottled sunshine, waiting to be released.
11:52Above the water, the sun continues to melt the surface ice.
12:01Slowly unlocking the pantry door.
12:05Fish are the first to arrive.
12:08To feed on the abundant copepods.
12:11Followed by Arctic seabirds.
12:16And then, the largest predators join the feast.
12:24The sun's life-giving energy now flows throughout the food web.
12:34All triggered by the great melt.
12:41This explosion of life will fuel the Arctic residents during the summer months.
12:47Until the big freeze returns.
12:50And the waters fall silent once again.
12:53Frozen worlds can rise and fall with the changing temperatures.
13:08But when the snow arrives early, being caught in last season's wardrobe could be fatal.
13:20It's late autumn in Norway.
13:24Among the changing leaves of the forest.
13:27This stoat is prepping for winter.
13:31He doesn't hibernate, but needs to store some emergency rations.
13:38Just in case.
13:39He has time.
13:40Highly attuned to the dwindling daylight hours, his internal clock will warn him when change is coming.
13:54But this year, winter arrives unseasonably early.
14:09Taking everyone by surprise.
14:15And it seems some creatures like surprises.
14:30As fun as it is, there is a problem.
14:49The early snow has caught the stoat unprepared.
14:57He ventures out to look for food.
15:00His brown fur stands out against the white.
15:05Making him an easy target for his greatest foe.
15:10The golden eagle.
15:16He needs a costume change.
15:25Stoats have the remarkable ability to turn completely white in winter.
15:31To blend in with their changing surroundings.
15:35But it's not the arrival of snow on its own that triggers the change in color.
15:47It's actually the length of the day.
15:51As the days shorten, he produces more melatonin.
15:56Which changes the way his fur grows.
16:04Meaning his transformation is usually perfectly timed.
16:11But now, the sudden change in weather sends the melatonin within his body into overdrive.
16:21Speeding up his molt.
16:26First, he waits for the thicker white hairs to grow.
16:32Before he sheds all of his brown fur.
16:42While he molts, he's neither one color nor the other.
16:47So he needs to remain wary.
16:51Oops.
16:52Still not quite ready yet.
16:58His makeover is complete.
17:03As white as pure snow.
17:08And hard to spot.
17:11He's even changed his name.
17:14Now he's known as ermine.
17:18He still has the black tip to his tail.
17:24This acts as a useful decoy for predators.
17:27So he's keeping it.
17:30Now fully camouflaged, he can safely continue his search for food.
17:39Snow can influence coat color throughout the Arctic.
17:45But could winter white be going out of fashion?
17:55The ice worlds of our planet's wild north have helped create one of nature's most charismatic shapeshifters.
18:06The Arctic fox.
18:11Like the stoat, this female has already changed her coat for winter.
18:19She is equipped for survival in the most changeable of environments.
18:27As the frozen brown earth of the tundra turned white.
18:32So did she.
18:34Becoming a ghost in the snow.
18:38The ice and snow have demanded a thicker winter coat to protect her against low temperatures.
18:57But winter brings other challenges.
19:09The snow that conceals her also buries her prey.
19:16Finding food beneath layers of ice and snow takes...a different approach.
19:37No luck today.
19:39But this hunter is also happy to scavenge.
19:47The border where the tundra meets the unfrozen sea...brings new opportunities.
19:58She scours the beach.
20:10The ocean never fails to deliver tasty morsels to this shoreline, whatever the season.
20:19But she's not the only one looking for leftover seafood.
20:27Another Arctic fox.
20:29A perfect shadow of herself.
20:34Despite the snowfall, this fox never turns white.
20:44He's what's known as a blue morph.
20:52He's the same species.
20:55But a genetic mutation means his coat only ever turns different hues of a grey-brown color.
21:01This is his domain.
21:07And he's not one for sharing.
21:11She'll have no luck on this stretch of beach.
21:18In this salty habitat, snow rarely lingers.
21:24Her white coat, which camouflaged her so well on the tundra, now works against her.
21:33Whereas the blue morph's coloring, tailor-made for this ice-free environment, gives him a unique evolutionary edge.
21:50And the numbers of his kind are on the rise.
22:01As climate change increasingly disrupts nature's calendar, white might no longer be the most fitting color here.
22:15The blue morph fox has inadvertently prepared itself for a future where snowfall could become more unpredictable.
22:31The transformative power of snow is extraordinary.
22:36The collective force of trillions of individual ice crystals, each one uniquely crafted.
22:46As water freezes, the sorcery begins, creating long icicles, vast sheets, huge blocks, and some of the most beautiful and delicate patterns in the natural world.
23:11The blue morphs appear seemingly out of thin air.
23:16Their fleeting, ephemeral nature is what makes them so magical.
23:23Each ice crystal is a one-of-a-kind phenomenon, shaped by its origin story.
23:35It all begins high in the atmosphere, within a cloud.
23:42When water vapor encounters frigid temperatures, the individual droplets cling to a microscopic dust particle, found floating in the air, and start to freeze.
24:00And as each dust particle is shaped differently, so are the foundations of every snowflake.
24:07More water molecules then freeze around this core, creating the framework for a tiny ice masterpiece.
24:21It extends outwards, naturally forming a six-armed lattice, the snowflake's signature shape.
24:35Each branch lengthens with every minuscule addition of water, its intricacies fashioned by subtle variations.
24:48Dancing within its cloud, it encounters pockets of air with different temperatures and densities, which also influence the snowflake's form and design.
25:03Some grow slender needles.
25:06Others bloom into star-shaped crystals.
25:12By each taking a different journey, their identities are finessed into something unique.
25:21It takes a billion, billion water molecules to make a single snowflake.
25:28As they continue to grow bigger and heavier, gravity eventually wins.
25:43Pulling them towards the earth, gracefully falling together, their arms intertwine, forming fluffy clumps of snow.
25:56Snowflakes are one of nature's true marvels.
26:01And when they settle, blanketing the landscape, wildlife is forced to find imaginative ways to escape the cold.
26:16In the depths of winter, Yellowstone National Park falls silent.
26:26Each year, over nine feet of snow envelops this vast volcanic landscape.
26:37Its sprawling forests and plains transform, now locked in a deep freeze.
26:45For the wild residents, life grinds to a halt.
26:51Food vanishes.
26:55Trails disappear.
27:00There's only one group of municipal workers who can get this snow-bound town up and running again.
27:11Bison are nature's snow plows.
27:21This female is the leader of the convoy.
27:26Her job? Creating roads in the snow.
27:32Broad and muscular, driven by powerful neck muscles and extra-long vertebrae.
27:38She plows through even the deepest drifts.
27:50With every swing of her head, she uncovers buried treasure.
27:55Grasses locked beneath the snow.
28:11And as they clear the snow to graze, their tracks become Yellowstone's winter highways.
28:18Benefiting the community.
28:29Coyotes eagerly follow the trail.
28:33And deer nibble vegetation exposed by the bison.
28:45And smaller inhabitants can roam again.
28:50The matriarch drives her way towards Yellowstone's geothermal basins.
29:03Here, the Earth's heat melts the snow, revealing expansive grasses and mineral-rich soils.
29:15Other bison herds gather, heading towards the volcanic warmth.
29:30Together, they are the caretakers of this wilderness.
29:38Along with snow clearing, their grazing and scattering of nutrients leave behind a healthier ecosystem.
29:51Come spring, thanks to their work, bison-grazed areas will regrow faster and stronger.
29:59Glaciers have been weaving their magic across our planet for billions of years.
30:14Shaping everything in their path.
30:18These slow-moving rivers of ice flow to the rhythm of a deeper passage of time.
30:30Sculpting the land on their relentless march onwards.
30:37They are the keepers of 70% of Earth's fresh water.
30:43Gravity slowly propels them downhill.
30:49Gouging out lakes and valleys in their wake.
30:56Their faces tell the story of their long lives.
31:02A tapestry of dark deposits reveals their journey through land and time.
31:11While their jagged spines chronicle a lifetime of melting and refreezing.
31:17In contrast, their rarely seen underbelly is as smooth as glass.
31:36Over eons, the glacier's colossal weight has slowly compressed snow layers into clear, solid ice.
31:46Allowing light to travel deeper within its core, producing a luminous turquoise glow.
31:59Some glaciers, like this one, have a hollow heart.
32:13When temperatures warm, the glacier's outer layers start to melt.
32:25Droplets flow down through tiny cracks.
32:31Forming streams of meltwater that bleed from their midst.
32:36Carving out glimmering ice caves.
32:43Although glaciers have always given way to seasonal fall.
32:48Their melting is now accelerating at an alarming pace.
32:52As the world gets warmer, ancient waters once frozen in time.
33:02Start to cascade from land into sea.
33:14Causing sea levels to rise.
33:17Land to flood.
33:21And storms to intensify.
33:24These towering giants are vital to the health of our planet.
33:33Holding fresh water locked in ice for hundreds of thousands of years.
33:39While many still stand firm today, their future remains uncertain.
33:46Ice can bring even the mightiest rivers to a standstill.
34:01Each winter, parts of the Mississippi freeze over.
34:05Trapping the unwary beneath its glassy surface.
34:12But one creature's demise becomes another's lifeline.
34:20As the shallow backwaters thaw, opportunity arises.
34:24And for one smart parent, it's the moment they've been waiting for.
34:41While late winter may seem an unlikely time to lay their eggs.
34:46These bald eagles know better.
34:51For this feisty midwestern mother of two, it makes perfect sense.
35:00She finds it easier to keep her brood warm in the cold season,
35:04than it is to keep them cool in the heat of the summer.
35:11Plus, there's another big advantage.
35:18As the frozen river cracks under the strengthening sun,
35:22it reveals the ultimate winter bonus.
35:25A wealth of frozen fish.
35:30Starved of oxygen beneath the ice, they now float to the surface.
35:37Perfectly preserved.
35:40The only catch?
35:42Every other parent in the neighborhood has had the same idea.
35:47Time to get pushy.
35:50She can't afford to go home empty-handed.
35:57But as the ice continues to retreat, more victims of the frieze rise to the surface.
36:22Ready for collection.
36:29This fleeting moment of abundance, delivered by the frieze and unlocked by the thaw, makes winter nesting a success.
36:37As it fuels her chicks' incredible growth.
36:52In just two months, they'll be strong enough to fledge, ready to take to the skies.
36:59Like their mum.
37:06In nature, timing is everything.
37:08Further north, a creature's imminent journey could hold the power to shape our planet's future.
37:14In the far reaches of Scandinavia, the approach of snow and ice is about to kickstart a migration on a truly immense scale.
37:33As the first flakes of snow arrive, it serves as a signal for these reindeer.
37:48Over the past summer months, this herd, mostly mothers and calves, have gorged on these coastal pastures.
38:00But now, their real challenge is about to begin.
38:10For over 10,000 years, snow has dictated their winter migration.
38:18The oldest and wisest of the herd will lead them across the landscape.
38:32And along the way, the influence of water, in all its forms, continues to shape their destiny.
38:45In Norway's fjords, ice cold and up to 4,300 feet deep, hide a maelstrom of undercurrents.
38:57She has made this crossing before.
39:02But for the calves, it's their first experience of deep water.
39:10The reindeer are built for snow and ice.
39:13But frigid, choppy water like this poses the most serious threat.
39:19Her instincts tell her to wait for calmer conditions.
39:23When the weather breaks, she makes the pivotal decision and steps forward.
39:40The others cautiously follow her lead.
39:47The fjords' strong currents and near-freezing waters are still treacherous.
39:53But reindeer are strong swimmers.
39:58Their powerful, athletic legs and wide, concave hooves propel them through the water.
40:05But the crossing is long.
40:12As fatigue kicks in, the calves struggle.
40:18Their small bodies fighting the currents.
40:24And the cold.
40:37The weary herd just need one last push.
40:43To reach the shore.
40:58This year, every member has survived the crossing.
41:02Finally, they arrive at the high plateaus.
41:28Here, they can feast on the carbohydrate-rich lichen hidden just under the snow.
41:47It's the seasonal rhythm of the Arctic ice that guides the reindeer to these highlands.
41:56As they travel across the vast landscape, their appetite plays a crucial role in maintaining the balance of not just their ecosystem, but the entire planet, too.
42:14Throughout the year, as reindeer graze, they trim back grasses and shrubs, preventing them from taking over the tundra.
42:23Allowing snow to settle unbroken in a shroud of pure white.
42:33Rather than absorbing the sun's rays, this snow blanket acts like a giant mirror, reflecting the solar heat back into space.
42:44Known as the albedo effect, this simple act keeps the Arctic cold.
42:50Which, in turn, creates more snow to deflect more heat.
43:01And when these cooler temperatures are mixed with the warmth of the tropics, it helps stabilize our global temperature.
43:09It's vital that the poles retain their snow cover for as long as possible each winter.
43:21And driven by the ice itself, these reindeer are playing their part.
43:28Every step they take echoes far beyond their frozen realm to safeguard this blue planet we all share.
43:41The water, from ice to ocean, is our most dynamic force of nature.
43:54Life on Earth simply wouldn't exist without it.
43:59And that would be found.
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