Where Roads End and Ice Begins | Greenland: Life Beyond the Arctic Circle | Free Documentary

追加: 2026-05-22

[00:00:09]Greenland, the world's largest island in the Arctic Ocean.

[00:00:16]Ancient traditions, mysterious creatures, and the eternal ice have long [music] determined the lives of the island's inhabitants.

[00:00:36]The continental drift once caused mighty [music] mountain ranges to form along the coast.

[00:00:42]The interior of the country is covered by a vast [music] ice sheet and barely accessible to humans.

[00:00:51]The extensive biodiversity of the Arctic Ocean attracts scientists from all over the world.

[00:01:05][music] >> A life shaped and surrounded by nature.

[00:01:28]Summer at the Arctic Circle in Ai Visoit, [music] the rugged glaciers of the inland ice meet the green tundra.

[00:01:38]For thousands of years, these have been the hunting grounds of the Inouit, [music] who have always fed themselves with whatever nature has provided.

[00:01:49]In 2018, the region was [music] declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. Since then, it has welcomed ever greater numbers of international visitors.

[00:02:02]Nowhere else in Greenland offers easier access to [music] the inland ice.

[00:02:08]Kimak Hileman was born and raised in Greenland.

[00:02:12]She knows the >> [music] >> icy landscape intimately and has [snorts] turned this knowledge into a career.

[00:02:18]Today she is [music] leading a group of visitors from France.

[00:02:22]Their tents, provisions, and luggage are transported on cargo sleds along with the expedition's safety equipment.

[00:02:46]The group has a 3-hour journey ahead of them. Their route will take them over the terminal marine. Mounds of stones [music] and rubble pushed forward by the moving glaciers.

[00:02:57]Continually rising temperatures have caused the ice to melt and revealed more and more of the land.

[00:03:06]After half an hour, they reached the ice. But now, krampons are needed to continue their journey.

[00:03:15]As far back as the 19th century, polar researchers undertook expeditions to Greenland's inland ice. Most Inouit, on the other hand, never saw any reason to put themselves in unnecessary danger.

[00:03:27]Yet, Kimak [music] has always been fascinated by the ice. She knows all the potential pitfalls that are hidden to the untrained eye.

[00:03:34]>> When we were there, a crack came, teeny tiny millimeter of crack and then water started coming down to it because it turns out there was a tunnel under it. So it makes these sounds like go and then it got bigger and bigger every time we were here. Suddenly after 3 months it's just big. We can be pretty persons inside now. 3 hours later, the hikers reach their final stop of the day. Here is where they will set up camp for the night.

[00:04:05]>> I need you to put one screw here because the wind is always coming from the summit of the ice cap.

[00:04:14]>> They use screws instead of [music] pegs and sleeping bags designed for extreme temperatures. In the daytime, it's around 5°. [music] At night, however, temperatures can plummet to far below [music] freezing.

[00:04:35]Time for dinner.

[00:04:37]But first of [music] all, Kimak needs fresh water.

[00:05:16]Fortunately, she has planned for everything.

[00:05:31]Nighttime brings a visit from the [music] northern lights.

[00:05:36]They are electrically charged particles of the solar winds that have hit the Earth's atmosphere.

[00:05:41]The Inuit, however, [music] believe them to be the spirits of the dead.

[00:05:57]Greenland lies between Canada [music] and Iceland, the closest land mass to the North Pole. Over 80% of the island is covered by ice. Starting out [music] from Tulle in the north, the Inouits settled this land around 1,000 years ago.

[00:06:12]Disco Island, named [music] after its round shape, is located in Disco Bay, a major point of interest for marine biologists.

[00:06:28]Long ago, volcanic activity shaped the red bas [music] slopes of the island.

[00:06:39]Rock glaciers cascade [music] down from the mountainous coastlines into the depths of the disco fjord. The moving perafrost [music] soils consist of frozen rubble and stones.

[00:06:55]In summer, melt water flows [music] down the rock face.

[00:06:59]The bay is littered with countless icebergs.

[00:07:09]Many humpback whales [music] are drawn to Disco Bay. The water is full of plankton, fish, and their favorite food, the Arctic krill.

[00:07:22]Almost all the icebergs in Disco [music] Bay have broken away from the Seck Kuahek, the most active glacier in the [music] northern hemisphere.

[00:07:33]The research vessel [music] Porscad from the University of Copenhagen has arrived on a rare mission. Its scientists are searching for what might be the most unknown creature of the Arctic deep sea, the Greenland shark.

[00:07:48]>> Anytime.

[00:07:49]>> In 2016, Dr. John Stephenson and his team discovered that Greenland sharks can live to be over 600 years old, older than any other vertebrae in the world.

[00:07:59]This time the researchers are not only here to observe. They are hoping to catch a Greenland shark.

[00:08:18]Yesterday, the biologists anchored [music] six long lines to the seabed 250 m below the surface.

[00:08:25]>> The Greenland shark lives down there in the darkness. It can barely see anything, so it uses its sense of smell to find its way around. Choosing the right kind of bait is therefore essential.

[00:08:52]No shark, Peter.

[00:08:54]>> I don't think so, but it's a lot harder than now.

[00:08:59]>> It's day three and still no shark in sight. For Peter Bushnull, this is nothing new.

[00:09:05]>> It's all we can do. There are just some things that are out of your control and this is one of them. Right? Whenever you do field work, you can't control the fish and you can't control the weather.

[00:09:16]It is definitely a mystery shark.

[00:09:23]>> Using a camera mounted on a deep sea platform, the scientists plan to monitor the Greenland shark.

[00:09:50]Okay.

[00:09:52]>> Barely any footage of live Greenland sharks has ever been recorded.

[00:09:57]For 10 years, the researchers have been trying to solve the mystery of this elusive beast.

[00:10:02]Yet significant parts of the puzzle still remain out of reach.

[00:10:07]Only by first catching and then studying a Greenland shark in the lab will the biologists be able to find out more.

[00:10:14]>> We just want to make sure that nothing happens to them. When you have an animal that's this age, that grows so slowly, that doesn't mature till very late in life and has very few pups, it's a recipe for uh disaster and us.

[00:10:40]Today [music] they are returning to Kek Tasawak, the only town on Disco Island without a Greenland shark specimen.

[00:10:49]The University of Copenhagen's [music] Arctic Research Station was founded here in 1906. It operates both as living quarters and as a laboratory.

[00:11:01]>> Reduction engineering.

[00:11:04]>> The scientists discuss the day's findings and evaluate the deep sea video footage.

[00:11:10]>> John has been fascinated by the Greenland shark for the past 15 years.

[00:11:19]foreign.

[00:11:24]Wow.

[00:11:39]Any more sharks in the video?

[00:11:48]Suddenly, the footage reveals a Greenland [music] shark after all.

[00:11:53]Tomorrow, the researchers will set out once again to find it.

[00:11:59]Check along lines and bring a shark in.

[00:12:03]It took us almost all >> the Inglefield in the region of Tulle in the far north of Greenland.

[00:12:23]In summertime, narwhals come here to give birth to their young.

[00:12:31]They are also known as sea unicorns.

[00:12:35]Their highly sensitive tusks [music] help these mammals find their way under the water.

[00:12:49]Mountains of bazalt and sandstone rise from the banks of the fjord.

[00:12:54]The Arctic fox is one of the few land-based [music] animals that lives here alongside humans.

[00:13:34]Today [music] the Inouit hunter Mess Ole Christianen is at the Inglefield F to hunt seals.

[00:13:41]He usually hunts narwhals at this time of year, but the hunting quotas have already been exhausted.

[00:13:48]Seal hunting, however, is not restricted by quotas. Although in summertime, the animals are particularly hard to kill.

[00:13:55]They dive back into the water at the first sign of danger.

[00:14:00]Miss Ole plans to catch one for his family and docks to eat.

[00:14:38]Today he's out of luck.

[00:14:55]Mess stopped in Kat to visit his friend Thomas Dun. With just 20 inhabitants, this village is one of the smallest in all of Greenland. The residents have no running water and no electricity.

[00:15:14]The two men have been friends for many years. Today they are planning to make whips for their dog sleds from seal skin.

[00:15:27]Seals are the traditional prey of the Inuit.

[00:15:30]As always, the entire animal is carefully prepared. Nothing is wasted.

[00:15:52]Before the seal skin dries, the fire is removed by hand. Of course, helping out your neighbors is a part of life in Greenland.

[00:16:06]>> What did you men want to do?

[00:16:09]>> [laughter] >> The leather will take 3 days to dry.

[00:16:36]Then it's ready to be turned into whips.

[00:16:42]1500 km further south than Kanga Sluswag, Greenland's only inland town and home to the island's largest airport, this hanger is hiding a rarity, the Sikosski S61 helicopter. It's Greenland's only rescue helicopter that is ready for operation around the clock.

[00:17:02]Pilot Fleming Bisco is carrying out routine checks.

[00:17:10]for the chopper was originally designed for the open sea. If necessary, it can also land on water and transform into a boat.

[00:17:42]It's a wonder of multitasking, perfect for these rough conditions.

[00:17:58]at the absolute here some he rescue missions in progress. Fleming and his team provide charter flights for paying [music] customers.

[00:18:27]There are hardly any roads [music] in Greenland. Heavy loads are transported by helicopter.

[00:18:33]Today, Fleming [music] is bringing a stonemill to a chalk mine, a 100 km journey across Greenland's [music] wilderness.

[00:18:52]the scale of 10.

[00:19:02]Greenland is home to the only continuous [music] inland ice surface in the northern hemisphere.

[00:19:08]It covers an area of 1.7 million square kilm, stretching far beyond the Arctic Circle.

[00:19:18]Nearly 10% [music] of the world's drinking water reserves are stored here.

[00:19:25]But the seemingly eternal ice sheets are beginning to melt away.

[00:19:35]Not only [music] would the melting of Greenland's ice sheets cause global sea levels to rise by 7 m, scientists warned that the desalination of the salt water could irreparably [music] damage our entire marine ecosystem.

[00:20:10]The night was particularly cold.

[00:20:12]Temperatures dropped to far below freezing.

[00:20:16]But for Kimac, the ice is like a second home.

[00:20:42]Pure speech.

[00:21:06]After some morning sustenance, the journey continues across the inland ice.

[00:21:14]The hike through the [music] gorgees will take 3 hours.

[00:21:27]The German polar researcher Alfred Veer died on the ice sheets in 1930 while trying to cross Greenland.

[00:21:39]Countless meltwater [music] rivers under the surface hollow out the ice from within and increase the risk of collapse.

[00:21:46]>> The Mulong is right here. Play, please stay on this side.

[00:21:52]The mulons. These are holes in the ice which branch off in all directions under the surface.

[00:21:58]>> This one has around 30 m down, but it goes further in like this, like a snake.

[00:22:05]It's a big one. We haven't discovered what's under it yet, but maybe during the winter we'll go down and check it.

[00:22:25]Water flows here throughout the summer.

[00:22:34]By the afternoon, the hikers are back on more solid rocky ground.

[00:23:03]It's a new day in Disco Bay. The biologists are back and looking for a Greenland [music] shark. Their colleagues in the lab cannot continue their work without a specimen to study.

[00:23:42]John has been working with a local crew for several years.

[00:23:47]No one knows the secrets of the Arctic Ocean better than they do.

[00:24:01]So yeah, the leg here we have with >> line B. The last three came up empty.

[00:24:24]>> We have a tangle and we have a shark.

[00:24:30]They need to act fast so as not to hurt the animal. The shark is quickly taken off the hook and is tied securely to the boat.

[00:24:38]>> If I try to take a clip line, I have it here. And uh Peter, can you give me a ball cutter?

[00:24:46]>> Wow, he's really alive. Jesus.

[00:24:48]>> No, but it's the boat that's rolling.

[00:24:51]>> No, no, I'm not going anywhere.

[00:24:56]The water temperatures in the Arctic are just above freezing point.

[00:25:00]>> The shark has a form of antifreeze in its blood without which it could not survive these brutal conditions.

[00:25:18]This specimen is at least 4 m long and weighs around 300 kilos.

[00:25:23]The researchers have been [music] monitoring the species for years in an attempt to increase their scientific understanding.

[00:25:30]Today, they will kill the animal in order to study it in detail.

[00:25:35]The local halibet fishermen would be happy to help. For them, [music] the Greenland shark is a threat to their livelihood.

[00:25:58]Foreign speech. Foreign speech. Foreign speech.

[00:26:11]at a high summer.

[00:26:31]>> Oh, there's a route here.

[00:26:44]Diego has to to take us.

[00:26:46]>> Diego Bernal and his colleagues from the lab are waiting for them in the harbor.

[00:26:52]>> To get it out here, >> we are going to remove the heart from the animal and try to understand the way the heart contracts.

[00:26:59]We're trying to measure the capacity of the muscles to contract and relax and uh understand a little bit more about how these hearts work in very cold and large and old fish.

[00:27:13]Does an increase in sea temperatures threaten the survival of the world's oldest vertebrae? To answer this question, researcher Magdalena Winchester is studying muscle samples from the fish's heart and fins. To make them move, the muscles are stimulated by electrical impulses at different temperatures.

[00:27:32]>> I'm specifically looking at how temperature affects the heart. So, as temperatures warm, I want to see if the heart can still contract.

[00:27:40]>> The tests will take several weeks. The scientists are now one step closer to understanding the mysterious Greenland shark.

[00:27:54]Far to the north lies the town of Kanak.

[00:27:57]It's the northernmost Inouit settlement in the world.

[00:28:01]Danish whalers [music] discovered this place at the beginning of the 19th century.

[00:28:09]90% [music] of the region's inhabitants have always lived from traditional hunting. They always use the entire animal.

[00:28:19]The most profitable hunting activity is the catching and selling of narwhals.

[00:28:24]But since 2019, the hunting of these animals has been strictly regulated. The quotas are set by the hunting ministry in Nuke.

[00:28:36]>> Mess is chairman of the kanak hunting association. Today he has called for a demonstration by hunters and their families.

[00:28:55]Narwhal's skin is a delicacy in Greenland. The animals can fetch a price of up to€5,000 each. The summer offers no other sources of revenue, and there are no state benefits to rely on.

[00:29:11]Fore speech.

[00:29:21]foreign.

[00:29:29][screaming] >> [cheering] >> Mes hands over their demands to the regional administrator on a USB stick, but the official is bound to the law set in Nuke.

[00:30:14]foreign.

[00:30:27]Yeah.

[00:30:40]Kanak receives supplies by cargo ship just twice a year.

[00:30:44]All other deliveries must be flown in at great cost.

[00:30:49]So the people here are left to their own devices and have to manage as best they can.

[00:31:19]>> [music] >> Miss has two children. His seven-year-old son also wants to become a hunter one day, despite the difficulties they face.

[00:31:44]Back at the polar circle in Asivisawit, part of the unique Arctic landscape near Kangaswak.

[00:31:52]4,000 years ago, the first human settlers are said to have lived here.

[00:31:56]For the Inuit, this place has always had a special significance as a hunting ground.

[00:32:02]At the beginning of the 1960s, 27 musk ox calves from East Greenland were brought to the region. The animals found their ideal living conditions here.

[00:32:12]Since then, the number of musk oxen has grown to over 10,000.

[00:32:18]Yet, the [music] preferred prey of Inouit hunters remains the caribou.

[00:32:27]Rescue pilot Fleming Biscor is on his way to a tundra fire. He is transporting firefighters and equipment to the scene.

[00:32:46]The firefighting experts were flown in especially from Denmark to support their Greenlandic colleagues.

[00:32:58]>> [music] >> is there. So you saw remote.

[00:33:28]With blazes such as these, there is a risk of the fires smoldering under the ground and spreading extremely quickly if not put out in time.

[00:33:58]for Attempts to extinguish the smoldering fires have been going on for weeks. The arrival of backup from Denmark means that local firefighters can finally take a break.

[00:34:35]>> Greenland has been an autonomous territory of Denmark since 2009, but it is still financially dependent on the sovereign state and reliant on aid for disaster protection.

[00:35:05]>> [laughter] >> Alan Kirk Yansen is in charge of operations on the Danish side.

[00:35:28]These fires will soon be under control, but this is only one small battle in Greenland's wider struggle against climate change.

[00:35:47]Kimak, the international tour guide, is on her way to the shooting range just outside of Kangaswak.

[00:35:54]She is meeting friends here and wants to try out her new rifle.

[00:36:04]>> First, it has to be calibrated.

[00:36:11]Let's go.

[00:36:41]So now hunting is part of life in Greenland.

[00:37:03]And >> meat is available in every supermarket right alongside guns and ammo.

[00:37:26]Kimak is already looking forward to hunting season. It starts in August.

[00:37:34]Setting off from Tulle at the northernmost end of the world.

[00:37:40]Narwhal hunter Mes is on his way to a meat depot.

[00:37:44]Two months [music] ago, he killed the last Narwhal on the other side of the Inglefield Fjord.

[00:37:50]Along with his father-in-law, Christian, he wants to pick up a couple of kilos of meat.

[00:37:55]The depot is located in his favorite hunting ground, past the large icebergs and the mighty Misum Masok Glacier.

[00:38:04]There is a constant risk of pieces of glacia breaking off and triggering a [music] tsunami.

[00:38:10]Landing on the shores of the fjord is a dangerous business.

[00:38:44]Mama, I don't know.

[00:39:14]The Inouit have always stored their excess narwhal meat in stone graves to be prepared for leaner times ahead.

[00:39:24]The meat will be fed to their dogs.

[00:39:26]Industrial dog food from Denmark is unaffordable for the hunters and is only used in an absolute emergency.

[00:39:47]You know, you know, The two men make it back to deep water just in time.

[00:40:46]The Inouet have lived with the dangers of collapsing glaciers for a long time, but climate change has accelerated this process considerably.

[00:41:07]foreign.

[00:41:31]Back in Kanak, it is feeding time.

[00:41:34]Misole sled dogs mainly get narwhal meat to eat in summer. In winter they get seals.

[00:41:46]When the temperatures drop at the end of the summer, the animals get an extra helping. For Messi and his family, the dog sled is the only way to get around in winter.

[00:42:08]I have to do it.

[00:42:30]name.

[00:42:48]The mighty landscape of Greenland is being transformed.

[00:42:53]The summers are getting longer.

[00:42:56]Here in the Arctic, [music] the effects of global warming are particularly noticeable.

[00:43:02]Humans and animals [music] must adapt.

[00:43:06]Life in the Arctic Circle is changing.