BBC The Blue Planet Disc 1: Frozen Seas (2002)

Index

In the Arctic, animals that do stay north for the winter are forced to seek refuge in any patches of open water that haven't frozen over. Sometimes whales become trapped in these isolated tiny holes in the ice. A group of belugas are 22km from open ocean and it will be two months before the ice melts. They are painfully thin and horribly scarred. Their wounds are not inflicted by the ice but by polar bears that have spotted an easy meal. Aware of the danger, the whales stay submerged as long as they can, but they can only hold their breathe for 20 minutes. Eventually a bear makes a catch.

In spring, female polar bears emerge from winter dens with their cubs. The mother hasn't eaten for five months and is starving. Seal pups are a favourite, and she can detect them hidden in the snow from 2km away. As the ice melts, thousands of belugas congregate in large estuaries for a communal exfoliation! In warm shallow water they rub vigorously against the gravel to slough off dead skin and encourage moulting.

On Zavodovski Island is the largest penguin colony in the world. About two million chinstrap penguins come to breed on the snow-free slopes of this live volcano. But emperor penguins stick it out on the ice. At the water's edge they are nervous as leopard seals patrol this border. These seals are Antarctica's equivalent of polar bears. As winter closes in again and the ice begins to freeze, male emperor penguins trek south, away from the open sea, to spend the dark months of winter out on the ice.

Peter's DVD rating:
Attenborough explores oceans during winter. Memorable scenes include a Polar Bear hunting Belugas, Chinstrap Penguins trying to climb onto land, and a Leopard Seal stalking Emperor Penguins.

2:55	Walrus spends winter on polynias (patches of open water amid ice)	3:10	Bowhead Whale trapped in a polynia	4:25	Beluga Whales also trapped, hunted by Polar Bear
7:45	Glaucus Gull?s scavenge	8:35	Arctic Fox also scavenges on kill	10:15	Harp Seals nursing on pack ice
11:10	Hooded Seal males display	12:10	Ringed Seal birth in cave	12:30	Polar Bear mother and cub hunt for Ringed Seal pup hiding in lair
16:20	Spectacled Guillemot? dive and swim in summer	17:20	Beluga Whales feed on Arctic Cod in leads (cracks in melting ice)	18:10	Narwhals
18:55	Bowhead Whales feed on copepods	20:00	Polar Bear swimming	20:45	Walrus molting in spring, feeding on soft-shelled clams
23:05	Beluga Whales also need to molt in shallow water	25:00	Autumn - winter, auroras.	26:25	Emperor Penguins in Antarctica
27:45	Weddell Seal scrapes air hole with teeth	29:45	Krill scrape algae off ice	31:15	Chinstrap Penguins climbing on land to breed
34:15	Chinstrap Penguins (2 million) nest on Zavodovski Island	36:40	Minke Whales , Humpback Whales feed on Krill in brash ice	39:50	Fur Seals feed on Krill
40:00	Emperor Penguins hunted by Leopard Seal , walk back to colony to find chick

3:10 Bowhead Whale	4:25 Beluga Whales	4:25 Polar Bear
7:45 Glaucus Gull?s	8:35 Arctic Fox	10:15 Harp Seals
11:10 Hooded Seal	12:10 Ringed Seal	12:30 Polar Bear
16:20 Spectacled Guillemot?	17:20 Beluga Whales	18:10 Narwhals
18:55 Bowhead Whales	20:00 Polar Bear	20:45 Walrus
23:05 Beluga Whales	26:25 Emperor Penguins	27:45 Weddell Seal
29:45 Krill	31:15 Chinstrap Penguins	34:15 Chinstrap Penguins
36:40 Minke Whales	36:40 Humpback Whales	39:50 Fur Seals
39:50 Krill	40:00 Emperor Penguins	40:00 Leopard Seal