"ANTARCTICA, its past and future is examined in 'Desert of Ice, Sea of Life' in order to gain a basic awareness of the intricacies of the Antarctic environment and international politics. Commemorating the 50th anniversary of Admiral Richard E. Byrd's flight over the South Pole, this documentary uses archival film footage, still photographs and interviews to chronicle early Antarctic expeditions, including that of Capt. James Cook, the great English explorer, who reached the outer 'islands of the ice' in the 18th century. Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen reached the South Pole first, arriving on Dec. 14, 1911. He was closely followed by a broken-hearted British expedition led by Capt. Robert Falcon Scott, who died with his men in a polar blizzard just days after being beaten to their goal. "Much of Admiral Byrd's expedition was recorded on film. The documentary shows the explorer and his men preparing for the flight and in the plane over the great polar plateau. Dr. Laurence Gould, a geologist who was second in command during the Byrd expedition, describes the harrowing flight and its importance to science. "Antarctic exploration was [stepped up] with the advent of the International Geophysical Year in 1957, which spawned the 1959 signing of the unique 13-nation Antarctic Treaty. Dr. James Zumberge of the National Academy of Sciences explains the treaty and its ban on any military activities on the continent. Several developments make this treaty of increasing significance: the discovery of vast beds of a shrimp-like crustacean known as krill and possible presence of significant quantities of oil, copper, coal, chromium and nickel. The delicate Antarctic marine eco-system could be permanently damaged by over-harvesting of krill, and the effects of an oil spill on fragile Antarctic life forms could be devastating. The future of Antarctica is unknown. The current harmony produced by the successful 13-nation treaty can continue, or it could be destroyed by greedy, competing interests."--1979 Peabody Awards entry form. This program was produced by KPBS-TV.
