NOVA: Extreme Ice DVD

2009 NOVA, National Geographic Television and WGBH Educational Foundation
Approx. 56 minutes

Current scientific models project a one-meter sea level rise over the next century, which could displace millions of people everywhere from Florida to Bangladesh and require trillions of dollars in new coastal infrastructure investments.  But can this future be prevented?

This documentary follows the progress of acclaimed photojournalist James Balog's Extreme Ice Survey, the largest photographic study ever attempted of the cryosphere, the mantle of ice that covers large portions of the Earth and that plays a critical role in weather.  The effort involves deploying 26 time-lapse cameras in risky, remote locations including Iceland, Alaska, and the Alps -- programming them to shoot a frame every daylight hour for three years.  Grappling with blizzards, fickle technology, and climbs up craggy precipices, Balog and a team of scientists must anchor cameras capable of withstanding sub-zero temperatures and winds up to 170 mph.  The perilous expedition creates a unique photo archive of melting glaciers that could provide a key to understanding their runaway behavior and their potential to drive rising sea levels.