Fire and Ice

Dr. Heidi Sevestre studies the surging Wahlenbergbreen glacier in Svalbard, which has accelerated in recent years. Using time lapse footage, she and her team monitor the glacier's movements and find it's moving at an incredibly fast pace of four to five meters per day.

In the scorching heat of the Norwegian summer, the leader of a muskox herd must move his harem to higher ground to escape the stifling valleys. But with this move comes the challenge of defending his rank in the upcoming muskox rut. As a rival male presents himself, a violent and intense battle ensues, with each using their thick skulls and massive bulk to try and outdo the other.

As spring arrives in the Arctic, a male polar bear's attention turns to finding a mate. With the vast frozen landscape providing little in the way of clues, he must use his highly sensitive sense of smell to track down the faint scent of a female. But winning her over won't be easy.

Laugakönguló, Iceland's pool spider, may only be the size of a thumbnail, but it's adapted to the extreme temperatures of Iceland's hot springs to survive the winter months. Normally dormant during the winter season, the constant heat in these hot springs allows these wolf spiders to thrive year-round. However, their survival is not without peril, as one wrong step can lead to being boiled alive.

Scandinavia’s extremes are kingdoms of ice and fire. Awake under the long polar night, Muskoxen, polar bears, and arctic foxes must navigate the dramatic transformation of their world as it melts into a sleepless rush of life under the midnight sun.