National Geographic - Extreme Ice (2008)

Follow photojournalist James Balog to some of the most remote and beautiful places on Earth as he documents the disappearance of an icy landscape that took thousands of years to form. An artist, scientist, explorer, and former mountain guide, Balog braves treacherous terrain to site his cameras in ideal locations to record the unfolding drama. Remarkable time-lapse footage reveals massive glaciers and ice sheets splitting apart, collapsing, and disappearing at a rate that has scientists alarmed. This NOVA-National Geographic Television special investigates the latest evidence of a radically warming planet.

The documentary offers an in-depth look at the living science of the Extreme Ice Survey, as well as a behind-the-scenes view of the severe conditions endured by the intrepid Extreme Ice Survey (EIS) Team. The documentary allows viewers to follow Balog into treacherous yet breathtaking regions where no camera has gone before. The film corresponds with the release of Balog's book, “Extreme Ice Now: Vanishing Glaciers and Changing Climate: A Progress Report”, published by National Geographic.

Once a climate change skeptic, Balog here presents stirring time-lapse images of melting bodies of ice. By placing cameras throughout the Arctic and programming them to shoot one frame every daylight hour for three years, he and his team were able to capture unprecedented footage of the world in flux. The gathered evidence points to extreme melting in polar regions. But it also suggests that the effects of climate change are occurring at a much more accelerated rate than previously thought. Extreme Ice explores the potential implications of this undeniable “big melt.”

Producer, Director & Writer : Noel Dockstader Narrator : Jay O. Sanders

A Production of National Geographic Television and NOVA/WGBH Boston (2008)