Studying the Dry Valleys of Antarctica | Continent 7: Antarctica

[Music] These systems are very unique, and as things change climate-wise, they're going to change and could change irreversibly. The Dry Valleys are very similar to Mars' environment. I mean, it's incredible. All of the microbial life on the continent has kind of concentrated and sequestered in the Valleys.

So right now in front, we're coming in. You can see the Onyx River, the longest river in Antarctica. If you look to your left, you're going to look right up the Wright Valley. Those glaciers—whoa! I can see a camp up there. Start to see in here, home for two [Music] weeks.

Dry Valleys is the largest ice-free area on the continent, so likely it's got the most biology. My obsession is with understanding how organisms can survive in some of the most extreme environments on the planet—the coldest places on Earth, the driest places on Earth. This project has 12 scientists investigating the impact of people on the ecosystem, as well as the impact of potential climate change on the ecosystem.

"How's it going, buddy? Good to see you again!"

"Yeah, good to see you, man!"

We go to the Dry Valleys because the surface cover is very simple, and we can do observations that we can do anywhere else in the world. What I've done now is set up the high-end infrared camera, and what you're trying to do is measure the surface temperature of different surfaces, the coldest being the lake, obviously. So the blue-violet colors—and this is one of the dynamics we're trying to capture in our analysis.

Weather is a global phenomenon, and whatever happens in Antarctica will affect, eventually, weather in different areas in the world. Temperature: 0 Celsius. Every now and then the wind picks up. My main focus is the surface; a few meters above the ground is where people live, where we grow our crops.

So this is why it is important. As the stewards of this planet, we shouldn't tolerate extinction. [Music]