«Abenteuer Alaska» (“Alaska Adventure”) on ARTE

With bitter cold, endless expanses and unforgiving nature, Alaska is a place of extremes. The largest state in the US has three million lakes, 5,000 glaciers, 3,000 rivers and more than 130 volcanoes. Beneath its vast plains lie gigantic deposits of natural resources. This wonderland in the far north has always cast its spell on people.

The US state of Alaska is a fascinating world all its own. In the Inside Passage in the south, dense rainforests alternate with calving glaciers. Majestic Denali (formerly Mount McKinley) towers over Central Alaska – at 6,194 meters (20,322 ft), the highest mountain in North America. The far north is also shaped by mountain ranges and wide plains stretching all the way to the Arctic Ocean.

A love of nature unites those who have turned their backs on Germany to seek happiness in Alaska. Scientist Regine Hock does glacier research on the other side of the world. She wants to find out which mechanisms are responsible for the retreat of these giants of ice. Atmospheric researcher Martin Stuefer flies his plane over huge wildfires to measure pollutant concentrations. Wildlife filmmaker Andreas Kieling achieved his breakthrough as a filmmaker with his footage of Alaska's brown bears. And fishermen Sissi and Günther Babich have built a small salmon empire in Glacier Bay.

Large parts of Alaska are uninhabited. Grizzly bears, polar bears and moose make their home in this untouched wilderness. They're joined by 3,500 bald eagles, huge caribou herds, bison and countless small animals. Walruses, humpback whales, orcas, sea otters and sea lions live along the coasts. And they're not the only ones taking advantage of the waters' enormous wealth of fish: the world's largest fishing fleets operate in the Bering Sea.

Air date: Samstag 12. Dezember um 18.00 Uhr auf ARTE
Repeat: Freitag 18. Dezember um 18:25 Uhr

Source: www.arte.tv