Thursday, January 23, 2014

TED talk: Tales of Ice-Bound Wonderlands

Rating: ***

This TED talk was a very interesting one. Paul Nicklen spoke about all of his experiences living in the arctic and enjoying the beauty of the vast white dessert. He explains many encounters with different animals and stresses that if we lose the ice we could lose a gorgeous ecosystem. His body language and passion make for a drawing presentation.

The presenter points out that the ice of the arctic is like the soil of the ecosystem. Not only does it harbor hundreds of microorganisms, but those organisms grow, and algae is formed, and smaller plankton feed on algae, and fish come for the plankton, and in turn the whole eco system and the life of the endangered animals (polar bears) rely on the ice. Paul also shares a touching story about a leopard seal that he encounters on a dive. The seal shows signs of aggression first, but then in good time decides that Paul is not a threat. The seal instead tries to feed him penguins. She bites on and shakes it around and hurls it towards him as if to offer it up. It’s moments like that that make you realize that without the ice we wouldn’t have such amazing issues.

This TED talk was very well done. I don’t live in the arctic, but it does address global issues so it is very important to everyone. I would recommend it to people who want an interesting and informative video.


Paul Nicklen “Tales of ice-bound wonderlands.” TED. Mar 2011 http://www.ted.com/talks/paul_nicklen_tales_of_ice_bound_wonderlands.html

1 comment: