'Extreme Ice'

This alarming film by James Balog is a NOVA-National Geographic special investigating the latest evidence of a radically warming planet. It follows the progress of acclaimed photojournalist James Balog's Extreme Ice Survey, the largest photographic study ever attempted of the cryosphere, the mantle of ice that covers large portions of the Earth and that plays a critical role in weather.

The effort involves displaying 26 time-lapse cameras in risky, remote locations including Iceland, Alaska, and the Alps - programming them to shoot a frame every daylight hour for three years. This remarkable time-lapse footage reveals massive glaciers and ice sheets splitting apart, collapsing, and disappearing at a rate that has scientists alarmed. Grappling with blizzards, fickle technology, and climbs up craggy precipices, James and a team of scientists anchored their cameras capable of withstanding sub-zero temperatures and winds up to 170 mph. This perilous expedition created a unique photo archive of melting glaciers that could provide a key to understanding their runaway behavior and their potential to drive rising sea levels. The sea level is projected to rise 3 feet in this century, putting many coastal cities under water.

6:30 potluck, 7:30 Film