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