Antarctica: Engine of ocean life

Antarctica is the coldest, driest and windiest continent on Earth.

This high, barren, white desert is so remote and so inhospitable that no human beings have ever made it their natural home.

But despite this, the continent is teaming with life, the majority of it in the rich oceans that surround the ice.

Here, whales, seals, penguins and sea birds gorge on the rich variety of sea life, which isin turn fuelled by the nutrient rich waters.

But this is not a local phenomenon - the effects of Antarctica’s productivity is felt across the planet. The waters are an engine that drives productivity in all oceans, helping create some of the world’s richest fishing grounds... for both animals and people. 

In this film, head of open oceans at British Antarctic Survey Dr Emily Shuckburgh, lead scientist with The Nature Conservancy Dr M Sanjayan and veteran wildlife cameraman Doug Allan reveal why the seas around Antarctica play such an important role in the wealth of life found throughout the world’s oceans.

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