Frozen Planet II (2022) s01e01 Episode Script

1
Looking down on our planet,
it may come as a surprise
to find just how much of it
is blanketed in snow and ice.
These vast frozen wildernesses
cover more than
a fifth of the Earth
yet some areas are so remote
and inhospitable
that, even today,
the closest we've come
to exploring them
is from space.
More than a decade ago,
the first series
of Frozen Planet
examined life in the Arctic
and the Antarctic.
In this series,
we will explore
all of Earth's
frozen habitats
from its highest peaks,
to its snowbound deserts
to deep beneath the ice.
Between them, they contain
an astonishing array
of animals
many that are found
nowhere else on Earth.
(SNARLING AND BELLOWING)
We will watch
the extraordinary ways
by which
they manage to survive.
Using new technology,
such as racer drones,
we'll gain a new insight
into their remarkable lives.
But just as we're beginning
to understand its wildlife,
we are recognising
an alarming truth.
Our frozen wildernesses
are disappearing
at faster rates
than ever before.
And never has it been
more important
to understand what is going on
in these icy territories.
In this first episode,
we will travel
from pole to pole
to celebrate
the precious wildlife
found in
our frozen wildernesses
(GRUNTS)
and witness their wonders
while there is still time
to save them.
This is Frozen Planet Il.
We begin our journey
in the far south of the planet.
After six months of darkness,
the sun is starting to return
to the largest frozen expanse
on Earth.
Antarctica.
A continent almost twice
the size of Australia.
Here, temperatures fall
to minus 80 degrees centigrade.
It's the coldest place
on Earth.
(WIND HOWLS)
There is only one animal here
hardy enough
to raise its family in winter.
(CHITTERING)
The emperor penguin.
Winds here can reach speeds
of over 100mph,
and a chick is in real danger
of freezing to death.
But his parents are possibly
the most devoted in all nature.
They shield him
from the full force
of the icy blast
and huddle together
to create a tight crèche.
Within it, the chicks,
remarkably,
can maintain
their body temperature
of 37 degrees Celsius
until one spring day,
when the chicks have grown
to almost a metre tall
the parents
simply walk away.
Their parental duties
are complete
and they will never again
return to their chicks.
As the days pass,
the chicks grow hungry.
(CHIRRUPS)
And their only chance of
finding a meal is out at sea.
But that could be 30 miles away
across the frozen ocean.
When one makes
the first bold move
(HIGH-PITCHED CHIRRUPING)
the rest follow.
They set off at a steady pace.
But sliding on your belly
is an easy option.
Out on this ever-changing
platform of the frozen sea
towering walls of ice
stand in their way.
(HONKS)
This will require
mountaineering skills.
Beaks come in useful
as ice picks.
And tobogganing
is a quick way down.
As they near the sea,
the ice becomes more unstable.
Even the smallest crack
is met with suspicion.
And with good reason.
A crack can quickly turn
into a gaping chasm.
(LOW CREAKING)
(PENGUINS HONK)
If they can't escape,
the panicked chicks
will be doomed.
Made it.
Finally, the end is in sight.
The Southern Ocean.
In some years,
the sea ice is so unstable
that none make it
as far as this.
These chicks
are the lucky ones.
Not the most graceful entry.
But they are in their element.
The sea.
They may have endured
the toughest of upbringings,
but now they can reap
the benefits
of the long summer ahead,
and feed in the richest waters
on Earth.
In winter,
the seas around Antarctica
are so cold that they form
a platform of ice
twice the size of Europe.
But in summer,
just off the shores
of the Antarctic Peninsula,
the ice cover breaks up into
millions of tiny ice floes.
It's an excellent place
for a Weddell seal
to rest up
after a night's feed.
(SNUFFLING SIGH)
The bay is sheltered
and the water calm.
But there are great dangers
here.
(LOW RUMBLING)
(WHOOSHING)
Killer whales.
This pair of 15-year-olds
are learning what is perhaps
the most complex
hunting technique in nature.
After sizing up their prey
they assemble
30 metres away
and then launch an attack.
They swim in tandem,
synchronising
their tail beats
to create a wave.
The seal is washed off
but it won't give up
without a fight.
The seal has escaped
this time.
But for the young
killer whales,
help is at hand.
They live in multi-generational
family groups
led by an experienced female
who can be over 100 years old.
Helped by
her accumulated knowledge,
the whales have become
ruthlessly efficient.
They have a 90%
hunting success rate
but a killer whale
needs to eat a seal a day
so this 14-strong family
has a lot of hunting to do.
Spreading out,
they spy-hop
to search the ice floes.
When a seal is spotted,
the scouts alert the family
with a rallying call.
(HIGH-PITCHED CRIES)
But if they are to catch a seal
resting on
such a large piece of ice
the hunters need to change
their tactics.
This time, they produce
a sub-surface wave.
(THUDDING AND CRACKING)
It breaks the ice
into smaller pieces.
But the seal
still has a raft
and appears to be protected
from any oncoming wave.
The matriarch whale,
however, has a plan.
Working in a coordinated way,
the pod push
the seal's ice platform
into clearer water.
(WHOOSHING)
The matriarch now tries
another tactic
which will avoid injury.
Blowing bubbles.
They disorientate
the tiring seal
and the whales move in
for the kill.
Only about 100 killer whales
in the world
hunt using this technique.
It's an ingenious solution
to the problem of finding prey,
here in the most extreme
frozen habitat on Earth.
Antarctica is so cold
because of its position
at the far south of the planet.
But travel north
and you'll find
other icy worlds
that are created by altitude,
in the mountains.
The Andes in South America,
with its 4,500 miles
of snow-covered peaks,
is the longest range on Earth.
These high icy worlds even
exist close to the equator,
where the sun
is at its hottest,
as on Mount Kenya in Africa.
But the highest mountains
of all stretch 1,500 miles
across the north
of sub-tropical Asia -
the Himalaya.
At the western end,
bordering Pakistan,
stand the Karakoram.
They contain more peaks
over 8,000 metres high
than any other range
on Earth
and include K2,
which stands
over 8,600 metres tall.
The slopes of the Himalaya
carry the greatest accumulation
of snow and ice
outside the polar regions.
It's an area known
as the Third Pole.
But north of the Himalaya,
there are even more surprising
frozen worlds
created by altitude.
A remote snow-bound desert -
the Gobi.
(BELLOWING)
And beyond it,
a grassy plain that stretches
for 5,000 miles
across Central Asia.
It's known as the Great Steppe.
Here, sheltering
from the elements
in his boulder den,
is a somewhat grouchy resident.
A Pallas's cat.
He has the densest fur
of any cat in the world.
Nonetheless, to keep warm,
he must catch
up to five rodents a day.
Top of the menu are voles
and gerbils.
(SQUEAKS)
Relative to body size,
Pallas's cats have one of
the shortest legs of any cat
and that helps
by giving them
a low profile when stalking.
But it's not so good
for wading through deep snow.
(SNOW CRUNCHES)
(MEOWS)
Never mind.
There are plenty more.
He just needs to stay focused.
Unfortunately, the longer
he's out in the snow,
the colder his paws become.
And he has only one way to get
the blood circulating again.
That could be one shake
too many.
(CALLS)
(SQUEAKS)
Only one hunt in three by
a Pallas's cat is successful.
No wonder he has
the reputation of being
the grumpiest cat in the world.
(WIND WHISTLES)
To the north of the Steppe,
in higher latitudes,
lies yet another frozen world.
The boreal forest.
750 billion snow-covered trees.
It's the largest forest
on Earth,
encircling the top of the world
from Europe to Russia,
and across to North America.
At the far eastern end
of this vast Siberian forest
lies the hunting ground of one
of the world's rarest big cats.
The Siberian tiger.
Illegal hunting
and destruction of its habitat
have driven this tiger to
the very brink of extinction.
Now fewer than 500 remain
in the wild.
Weighing nearly 200kg,
it's the largest
of all the big cats.
To keep warm,
this male must eat
10kg of meat a day
but in winter,
any prey remaining here
(BARKS)
is all too easily alarmed.
He must patrol his entire
700-square-mile territory
if he is to find enough to eat.
(SNUFFLING AND GRUNTING)
His acute sense of smell
tells him
that wild pig were here.
He's so hungry that he would
tackle even a 150kg bear.
But it left here months ago
leaving only a faint trace
of its scent.
In the autumn, black bears here
escape the coming winter
by hibernating inside caves.
But that wouldn't stop a tiger
from trying to catch one.
(GRUFF PANTING)
Remote cameras reveal
the bear's whereabouts.
It retreated into the farthest
recess months ago.
The tiger is simply too big
to reach it.
(GRUNTS)
But ready
for every opportunity,
this big cat is able to endure
the long Siberian winter.
(BIRDS SQUAWK)
And as long as this forest
is kept free from poachers,
these magnificent tigers have
a good chance of surviving.
In the northerly reaches
of the boreal forest
a strange phenomenon
illuminates the night sky.
The aurora borealis.
Electrically charged particles
from the sun
collide
with the Earth's atmosphere,
creating
this otherworldly display.
Viewed from space,
the aurora brings light
to the frozen poles,
which otherwise
would remain in darkness
for almost three months.
This is the arctic tundra
where temperatures can fall
to minus 50 degrees Celsius.
With little or no shelter,
few animals can survive
the winter here.
But some do.
(WIND HOWLS)
- Muskox.
- (DEEP GRUNTS)
Relics from the last ice age.
Two layers of fur protect them
from temperatures
of minus 30 degrees.
This allows them
to give birth in early spring.
At six hours old, a calf
is already able to stand
(LOW BELLOW)
ready to follow the herd in
the search for fresh grazing.
But until they gain
in strength,
they are veryvulnerable.
(CALF BLEATS)
(MUSKOX BELLOWS)
They're being stalked.
Grizzly bears.
Weighing up to 300kg,
they have emerged after
six months of hibernation
and are extremely hungry.
One gets to within
just ten metres
and then attacks.
(YELPS)
(BLEATS)
Separated from their mothers,
the newly born are unable
to distinguish friend
from foe.
The bear instinctively kills
every calf it can.
Only a few escape.
(BLEATS WEAKLY)
But the herd is now far away
and he is too weak
to follow.
(BLEATS)
90% of calves do not survive
their first year.
Even one without injury
stands little chance
without its mother.
(BLEATS)
(BLEATS WEAKLY)
(BLEATS)
Reunited.
If just a few calves survive
to adulthood,
the future of the herd
will be secure.
North of the tundra
lies the Arctic Ocean,
surrounded
by three continents -
Europe, North America and Asia.
In winter, it remains
almost entirely frozen.
But as the spring sunshine
finally reaches
the northernmost part
of the planet,
the sea ice begins to break up.
This marks the start
of the breeding season
for male hooded seals.
(RUMBLING GRUNT)
When they're six years old,
the males develop
an inflatable nose.
They're ready to breed,
and the bigger their nose,
the more attractive
they will be to a female.
And now this one
is eager to prove it.
A female has just given birth.
(CONTENTED GROANS)
A mother spends
a mere four days
feeding milk to her pup
and then, and only then,
will she be ready
to mate again.
That is too long
for an impatient youngster
to wait around.
These females seem
to have been claimed
by a larger male
but if this youngster
is to breed this year,
it's worth a try.
An inflatable nose
can also be used
to intimidate a rival.
His bravado pays off.
He must now woo
the receptive female.
(GRUNTS)
(ECHOING PLUNKS)
(TRILLED GRUNTS)
She seems unimpressed
but he has another trick.
He has an expandable sac
within his left nostril.
What is her verdict?
(GRUNTS)
A sharp nip on the tail.
And that means no.
With only one day in the year
in which to mate,
the female
is understandably choosy
and until the youngster
has grown
a more impressive balloon,
he's unlikely to be chosen.
No wonder he's deflated.
The spring not only transforms
the ocean,
it also triggers
an important event
on the biggest
of the Arctic's islands.
Greenland.
Over 1,600 miles long.
(WIND WHOOSHES)
It's covered
by a single gigantic ice sheet,
the largest
in the northern hemisphere.
As spring advances,
the surface of the ice melts,
forming crystal-clear lakes
up to five miles wide.
Climate change is bringing
higher temperatures,
so there is
more and more meltwater.
It drains down into
the mile-thick ice sheet
and a whole chain of events
is then triggered.
Time-lapse photography
from space
reveals what happens next.
(CRACKING)
The increased meltwater
accelerates the ice sheet's
slide downhill.
Eventually,
it reaches the ocean.
Here, it breaks up
into icebergs,
some taller
than the Empire State Building.
Greenland is losing its ice
six times faster today
than it was 30 years ago.
It alone is responsible
for a quarter of the rise
in global sea levels.
Changes in the Arctic
are already affecting
the lives of its highly
specialised wildlife.
Polar bears.
These one-year-old twins
still rely on their mother
for her milk, protection
and crucial survival lessons.
But they have yet to perfect
their swimming technique
and they can't wait
to practise.
The cubs need to be
as at home in the water
as they are on the sea ice.
- (GRUNTS)
- Their mother calls them out.
Until they've accumulated
a significant layer
of body fat
they feel the cold.
A roll in the snow
is a good way to dry off.
Then it's back to play
while their mother
heads off to hunt.
Over the coming months,
a mother must provide her cubs
with not just milk but meat,
and lots of it.
By midsummer, the sea ice
has become so thin
that her best chance
of catching her preferred prey
is by ambushing it
from the water.
It's a technique known
as aquatic stalking.
She approaches downwind
and tries to get within
a metre of a bearded seal.
But today there is less sea ice
to provide cover,
so she is having
to target riskier prey.
The hooded seal.
They are about the same size
as the bearded,
but more aggressive
and dangerous.
She moves round
to the other side.
The Arctic is now warming
more than twice as fast
as the rest of the world.
The sea could be ice free
in summer
by as early as 2035.
That will make it harder
for mother polar bears
to feed themselves
let alone their cubs.
Well adapted
to live in the cold
the animals that inhabit
our frozen lands and seas
need one thing
more than any other.
And that is for the planet
to stop warming.
It's now up to us
to make that happen.
Filming across the length
and breadth
of our frozen planet,
one of the team's greatest
challenges was to capture
the enormity of Greenland's
rapidly melting ice sheet.
To do so, the crew launched
five separate
filming expeditions,
installing specially designed
cold-proof time-lapse cameras
that were to run
for three years
even commissioning
satellites to record
the big-picture changes.
But the story
would be incomplete
without documenting
the finale of this event -
the calving of
Greenland's Store Glacier
a wall of ice
over three miles long
and towering
120 metres high.
(HELICOPTER ROTOR HUMS)
The crew arrive at the height
of the summer thaw,
when, at any moment,
fracturing ice blocks
the size of a small town
may be cast into the sea.
Camping out
for the next three weeks,
the team takes advantage
of the constant daylight
offered by the far north
at this time of the year.
We've got a lot of ice
on the glacier, 24 hours a day.
So, yeah, we're poised.
I started about 8pm
and it's currently, yeah,
just after two.
I've got until 4am
this morning, I think.
- (SNORES)
- (INSECTS BUZZ)
They're hoping to be
one of the first film crews
to use a camera drone
for unprecedented proximity
and a brand-new perspective.
- Yeah, it's going.
- (RUMBLING)
It's not long before
their new technology
is put to the test.
(DRONE HUMS)
But it quickly reveals
its limitations.
The issue with the drone,
you've got to turn it on,
get it in the air and fly it
1.5km to the glacier fronts.
So, if you see
a calving happening,
then you're too late.
With a flight time
ofjust 20 minutes,
gauging the moment of takeoff
is critical.
HELEN: Yeah, I feel like today,
just every decision I've made
has been the wrong one.
It's really easy to trick
yourself into thinking,
"Oh, it's gonna go,
it's gonna go,"
so you get out there,
use up a whole drone battery
hovering,
come back, and as you're
heading back - pfff!
Soon, the team face
another problem
that comes with
today's warming Arctic.
Unseasonably wet weather
makes it impossible
to fly the drone,
and acts as a catalyst
for further melting.
(THUNDEROUS CRASHING)
Absolute racket happening
down in the glacier.
Oh, my goodness.
(BOOM)
Even if it is
a major calving event
can't see a thing.
(BOOMING ECHOES)
That sound just went on and on.
(BOOM)
HELEN: That one was huge.
After five days of frustration,
the fog finally lifts
to reveal the bay
choked with giant icebergs.
It appears the crew have missed
their opportunity.
The morale of the crew
has taken a little bit
of a downturn.
Do you know what?
I just don't know what to say.
I'm so tired.
To make matters worse,
a plague of mosquitoes
descends,
further disheartening
the exhausted team.
(INSECTS BUZZ)
HELEN: All your senses
are all-go all the time,
even when
you're trying to sleep,
so it's just
a bit emotionally draining
sometimes.
Then, with just a few
shooting days left,
under a warming sun,
the glacier groans
and rumbles back into action.
(CREAKING)
- Ooh.
- (BOOM)
MAN: Guys, a big one going!
This could be the opportunity
they've been waiting for.
Oh, my gosh, look at that! Ah!
A calving event
lasting long enough
to film from the drone.
But no-one is prepared
for the sheer scale of it.
Just layer after layer of ice
broke away
and fell into the sea,
and then out came
this enormous,
skyscraper-sized iceberg,
displacing vast quantities
of water
and throwing enormous blocks
of ice around
like they were nothing.
Sitting here, day after day,
crossing your fingers
and hoping that you get
a big calving
and you see a big event,
and you manage to film it,
and when it does happen
and when it does go off,
it's so exciting,
and you get the adrenaline.
And then afterwards,
as you're sort of coming down
from that, there is
a bitter sweetness to it
as she realised
that's another piece of ice
that's slowly raising
the sea level.
Such imagery provides
an invaluable record
of the rapid changes
that are now taking place
across our frozen planet.