0:04 The Antarctic continent is the coldest,
0:12 Pristine white and sparkling blue, it
0:15 holds more than 60% of the fresh water
0:17 on the planet. Yet, its fierce frozen
0:20 interior is inhospitable for most forms
0:22 of life.
0:24 It's a different story in the
0:26 surrounding sea where the Atlantic,
0:28 Pacific, and Indian oceans meet to form
0:36 There, a distinctive array of life
0:38 flourishes in waters that remain just
0:44 Krill translate the sun's energy
0:46 gathered by green phytolankton into
0:49 protein that yields food to support the
0:56 Blue whales, spin whales, minky, right,
0:58 and se whales migrate thousands of
1:01 kilometers each year to feast on krill.
1:03 It's also a big part of the diet of
1:06 fish, seals, penguins, seabirds, and
1:08 many other forms of life. [Music]
1:16 The Antarctic southern elephant seal is
1:19 the largest seal in the world and its
1:21 cousin, the leopard seal, has a
1:24 reputation for being the most ferocious. [Music]
1:30 Six species of penguins breed in the
1:32 Antarctic. the deli which is the most
1:35 common and the emperor which can grow to
1:37 more than a meter high
1:40 as well as the chin strap genu can and macaroni.
1:42 macaroni. [Music]
1:47 [Music]
1:48 A little awkwardl looking, waddling and
1:52 sliding on icy surfaces. Underwater,
1:54 penguins are as streamlined as bullets
2:07 [Music]
2:10 More than 40 species of flying birds ply
2:12 the waters of the Antarctic, including
2:16 the petrol and the skura.
2:18 Scoo are large, fierce predators,
2:21 raiding penguin nests for chicks and eggs.
2:22 eggs.
2:24 They steal the catch of adult birds,
2:29 sometimes killing and feasting on them. [Music]
2:38 Recent expeditions in the Antarctic's
2:40 wett sea produced some scientific
2:44 surprises. More than 700 new species,
2:48 giant sea spiders, huge isopods,
2:51 enormous carnivorous sponges, and huge starfish.
2:52 starfish. [Music]
2:54 [Music]
2:56 New methods for exploring the cold, dark
2:58 waters around Antarctica are providing
3:00 insight into the nature of this
3:04 previously unknown part of the planet.
3:07 Today, more than 30 permanent yearround
3:13 Scientists are tracking the global
3:15 warming patterns in the region and the
3:17 shifting ocean currents to monitor the
3:20 shrinking ice mass and the impact of
3:22 climate change on the Antarctic life
3:25 above and below the ocean surface.
3:27 Protected by its remoteness, daunting
3:29 climate, most of the southern ocean
3:32 remains a mystery unknown and unexplored.
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