Powerful Glaciers
In Glaciers: Powerful Mountain-Makers, narrator Sir David Attenborough takes a close look at Earth’s most powerful erosive force — glaciers. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
Lesson Express
Q: How do glaciers form mountains?
A: Huge rivers of moving ice and rock gouge out deep valleys.
Q: What are some features of glaciers?
A: Flowing ice, erosive power, moulins, and crevasses, some large enough to see from space.
Q: What makes the Karakoram mountains particularly dangerous to climbers?
A: The peaks are very steep, and the glaciers are very crevassed. More climbers have died here than anywhere else.
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In Can We Stop the Glacier Melt?, geologist Iain Stewart explains the crucial role ice plays in our planet’s climate and how it’s being affected by global warming. Scientists are studying Greenland's massive Jakobshavn Glacier to understand how the ice is melting and the impact that has on rising sea levels. Over just the last few decades, the glacier has retreated significantly, and if Greenland's ice melts completely, it could raise sea levels by 23 feet (7 meters), threatening places like London and Florida. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Earth: The Power of the Planet, a documentary series in which Dr. Iain Stewart discovers how Earth's forces can shape nature, species, and even the climate.
In The Resilience of Gentoo Penguins, learn how Gentoo penguins show incredible resilience as they face predators, harsh climates, and changing ice conditions to feed and protect their young. From orca chases to the penguins’ first journeys to the sea, the challenges of survival are great in Antarctica’s changing environment. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.
In Rising Temperatures and the World's Mountains, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores the impact of rising temperatures on the world's most iconic mountain ranges — the Alps, the Rockies, the Andes, and the Himalayas. As climate change accelerates, glaciers are melting, snowlines are rising, and ecosystems are shifting. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Can the Earth Bounce Back From Our Actions?, geologist Iain Stewart explains how rising temperatures are causing glaciers to shrink, leading to higher sea levels and threatening cities. Discover how melting ice in Siberia is releasing methane, which could speed up climate change. And travel to the Yucatán, where the Mayan civilization once thrived, reminding us that powerful societies can fall. While Earth can recover, the way humans are impacting the planet threatens the future, showing it's not Earth in danger, but humanity. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Earth: The Power of the Planet, a documentary series in which Dr. Iain Stewart discovers how Earth's forces can shape nature, species, and even the climate.