Are you British? Thanks on behalf of the world for paying your taxes. Your broadcaster gives us something no other does.

“Cameramen Dough Anderson and Hugh Miller created a bespoke underwater tripod which they bolted to the ice ceiling. They were able to get extraordinarily stable, macro shots of ice formations or ice chandeliers, which were inhabited by millions of tiny ice fish whose bodies were full of anti-freeze. Ice diving is not for the faint-hearted – it is the most high risk type of diving.” Photograph: Hugh Miller/BBC Natural History Unit.

Of course being British you’ll get a ticket for the premiere. That’ll be next Wednesday, 21:00, BBC One. It’s called Frozen Planet and it’ll be very romantic – a 21^st century polar expedition in the footsteps of great people like Roald Amundsen and so many teams of explorers that tried to come to grips with the tips of our planet – where despite blizzards, calving glaciers and a unique abundance of adapted life forms everything seems stilled.

Up to date with state op polar research?

Before you start off we would recommend to update on some background information. You know about temperature amplification by the Arctic winter thermal inversion? Are you familiar with new insights about the sea ice dynamics feedback? You know about the Antarctica-Greenland bipolar seesaw? Have you seen the Arctic 2011 summer ice minimum? The 2011 winter ice maximum? Heard about the Antarctic krill decline? Size reductions among (male) polar bears? Have a feeling for uncertainties about the West-Antarctic Ice Sheet?

Check? Of course we always have more, but we say you’re good to go. Please enjoy the series – we know we will, so thank you BBC!*

[*) And cooperating production partners.]

© Rolf Schuttenhelm | www.bitsofscience.org