Atlantic: The Wildest Ocean on Earth - From Heaven to Hell (2015)

[bunniefuu]

There's an ocean,
where giants gather to feast

where people battle
the planet's roughest seas.

It stretches nearly , miles
from Arctic, to Antarctic

from tropical shallows,
to mysterious depths

It's an ocean of extremes.

The engine room for storms
a thousand miles across

Yet also, a sanctuary for the vulnerable.

People and animals brave
this unpredictable ocean.

Risking it all for rich rewards

This is the Atlantic,
the wildest ocean on Earth.

The Caribbean, the Atlantic's
sun drenched paradise.

Its warm shallow waters
offer shelter and plenty of food.

The perfect place for this two—year—old
Atlantic spotted dolphin to grow up.

The seas around him are bursting with life.

It's the richest corner of the Atlantic

but paradise comes at a cost.

Over the next nine months, the sun's energy
will push life here to its limits.

Caribbean heaven will soon turn...

... to hell.

The sun is the tropical Atlantic's engine.

It heats the ocean, from the coast of Africa,
right across to the Caribbean

three thousand miles away.

Here, there are huge expanses
of shallow, crystal clear sea.

There are coral reefs...

...meadows of sea grass...

...and mangrove forests.

There's a wider variety of marine life here
than anywhere else in the Atlantic.

Living here can bring rich rewards.

Right now, it's February,
the Caribbean's coolest month.

Even so, these shallows off the Bahamas
are a balmy twenty—three degrees

and the water's full of sound.

DOLPHIN NOISES

The chatter of Atlantic spotted dolphins.

It's a safe refuge for them.
The deeper waters are patrolled by sharks.

Dolphins are highly social,
they play together and hunt together

in tight knit groups, sometimes fifty strong.

These two mothers have teamed up,
so their calves can play and learn from each other.

The calves are still suckling from their mums
and yet to fully develop their spots.

They've plenty of time to learn the ins and outs
of a dolphin's social life.

They must learn a huge number
of complex clicks and whistles.

body language is important too.

Play biting helps build social bonds

one of the first ways
that young dolphins learn to interact.

Then there's fin rubbing.
Scientists compare it to a handshake or a hug.

It's all great fun,
but they're learning vital lessons.

From February on, the Caribbean
gets a little warmer every day.

Good news for another marine mammal
that simply can't survive without the heat.

A manatee

distant relative of the elephant

she's three metres long
and weighs in at almost a ton.

But despite her bulk,
she has very little blubber to keep her warm.

She lives here because the water
never drops below twenty degrees.

If it did, she'd die.

Lots of manatees over winter
in warm river estuaries.

Now, as sea temperatures rise

they spread along the Caribbean coast
in search of their favourite food...

...sea grass.

It covers huge areas of these shallows

and the warmer and sunnier it gets,
the faster it grows.

Over the coming months,
she'll spend seven hours a day

grazing these marine meadows.

It's manatee heaven, for now.

Change is on the way.

By April, the sun
is just that little more intense.

A small change with big effects.

In the deep water,
beyond Belize's barrier reef

the growing heat triggers
a spectacular annual event.

Snappers, they've gathered
here in this one place

for one hour, for one reason.

Snappers are usually solitary
and live over twenty metres beneath the surface.

Now, a combination of rising temperature,
day length and phase of the moon

brings them together in shoals
of ten thousand or more.

At dusk, the fish rise up
towards the surface.

The females release their eggs.

The males, their sperm.

They're here to spawn.

They do it at dusk because the fading light
makes life harder for predators.

But the snappers haven't gone
entirely unnoticed.

A whale shark.

The length and weight
of a double Decker bus.

But he's not after the snappers.

He hoovers up their eggs,
tens of thousands in each mouthful.

Millions of eggs are lost,
but millions more survive.

The young will drift on the currents
until they find a place of safety...

...a mangrove forest.

Stretching all along the Caribbean coastline,
these forests hold a secret.

An extraordinary sanctuary,
hidden beneath the surface.

The roots, draped with anemones,
starfish and sponges form a living barrier.

One that bigger predators can't pass.

And make this a safe haven,
not just for snappers

but for the young of hundreds
of species of fish.

It's an underwater wonderland.

These underwater forests
are among the richest environments on Earth.

By providing sheltered nurseries

they form a vital part of the web of life
across the Caribbean.

Sustaining life in the shallows, the reefs

and the deep sea beyond.

But other forces affect life here

and one of the most powerful has its origins
three thousand miles away, in Africa.

The African sun makes the Sahara Desert
one of the hottest places on Earth.

It's May and already the temperature
is nearing forty degrees.

The intense heat fuels powerful winds

which blow out from the desert
and west into the Atlantic.

The trade winds.

They first hit land
four hundred miles off the African coast

in the Cape Verde archipelago.

Desert islands, dominated by the wind.

The people here have an intimate relationship
with both wind and sea.

They stitch their sails from old plastic sacks.

Head fisherman, Sévère
has an instinct for the wind.

It's all that stands between
a successful trip and disaster.

The fishermen sail far out into the Atlantic.

Each trip can take a week or more.

The men are dependant on the wind.

If it fails, they might not get home.

After a successful trip,
the fishermen turn for home.

But the trade winds blow on,
driving west across the ocean.

As they move, they pick up moisture
from the sea below.

By May, the sun's heat evaporates
billions of tonnes of water

from the ocean's surface, every day.

Clouds build, and the trade winds
sweep them west.

When they finally reach the Caribbean

they bring a vital resource to paradise...

... rain.

The rain washes mud from land to sea

and here,
the mangrove roots slow the flow

and the sediment settles.

The mud nourishes the mangroves
and the roots act as a filter.

ensuring the waters in the Caribbean

remain crystal clear.

It's June and the sun is at its height.

The clouds soon burn away.

Soon, the building heat will test many
of the creatures that live here to their limits.

But for now, life is good.

Off the Bahamas,
adolescent dolphins have formed a group.

They're getting their first spots,
a sign of their new found independence.

Now they've been weaned,
they must hunt for themselves.

And for dolphins,
hunting means teamwork.

The group have cornered an unlucky filefish,
but they don't plan to eat it.

DOLPHIN NOISES

The youngsters take turns to herd the fish,
communicating in intense bursts.

More than just play

the youngsters are learning to coordinate
their movements and work as a unit.

Fortunately for the fish,
they tire of their game.

Their ability to work together
will be crucial to their survival.

In midsummer, the heat and light
drives an expl*si*n of plant life.

The sea grass is growing
by three centimetres a day.

Good news for the manatee.

But there are also thick patches
of algae growing on her back.

Conveniently, she's found a place nearby

where she can get a back scrub.

Alongside the reef, young parrotfish
have set up a cleaning station.

The fish get a meal, and she gets cleaned.

Now, she can go back
to the serious business of eating.

The tropical sunlight brings life
to everything it touches.

In this coastal lagoon in the Bahamas,
another animal can't get enough of it.

It may be moving slowly,
but this cassiopea jellyfish is in a hurry

It's on its way to a sunbathing party

Every day, hundreds of cassiopea
cluster in the calmest, sunniest spots.

These are solar powered jellyfish.

There are algae that live just beneath
their tentacles which feed on the sun.

They photosynthesise and the nutrients they make
are food for the cassiopea.

An arrangement that benefits both sides.

The jellyfish get free food,
the algae get their own mobile greenhouses

guaranteeing them a place in the sun.

These jellyfish rarely need to hunt

with bright sunlight
and algae on board, they thrive.

And when the sun sets, they will rest,
ahead of another hard day's sunbathing.

As evening falls, the sun loses its power.

But at this time of the year,
its influence persists far into the night.

After dark, the mangrove lagoons
undergo a magical transformation.

Something that Clifford, a fisherman from Belize,
plans to take advantage of.

All day long, an underwater life form here
has been harvesting the sun's energy.

Now, that energy will be released.

As fish move through the water,
they create a light show.

It's not the fish that are glowing,
it's something much smaller.

Tiny, single celled creatures
called dinoflagellates

flourish in the rich, warm waters
of the mangrove lagoons

And when they're disturbed, they glow.

Bioluminescence.

A shock, to warn off predators.

They're charged up by sunlight

so the longer the days,
the more intense the glow.

The bioluminescence is so powerful
that Clifford can fish in the dark.

Further out to sea,
on the Caribbean's reefs

there's another extraordinary
night time display.

A sign that the sun's power is now pushing
the reef's ecosystem into overdrive.

It may not look like it, but this is a coral.

Scientists believe its glowing
is an equivalent of sunscreen.

Corals have algae, living in their cells.

As these photosynthesise,
they produce food for the coral.

But too much ultraviolet light
can damage them

so the corals protect themselves.

A special protein absorbs the ultraviolet light

and reemits light of another colour.

By day, the sun is too bright
for this to be visible

but shining blue light on the corals at night
shows their fluorescent response.

It's a much needed defence mechanism
when there is no escape

from the midsummer's sun.

It's now August.

Water temperatures
have hit twenty—nine degrees.

Many creatures seek refuge in the shade.

In Grand Cayman, millions of silversides
gather in caves under the reef.

There's safety in numbers

but danger lurks, here, in the dark.

A monster, the length of a man,
with a ravenous appetite.

A tarpon.

He has expl*sive acceleration,
hitting up to forty miles per hour.

His cavernous jaws create
a suction effect when he strikes.

He swallows his prey whole.

As more silversides enter the cave,
more tarpon gather.

This seasonal feast
is just too good to miss.

Heat is building in the water

and temperatures are rising
in the dolphin community, too.

This calf is trying to stay close to his mother.

She's in oestrus and has attracted
the attention of an eager and persistent male.

Turning belly up and blowing bubbles
signals his excitement

but she's not interested.

Avoiding a single male is relatively easy

but groups working together
are another matter entirely.

Males from another group
are on the hunt for a mate.

They're an established team,
constantly communicating.

Their target is a lone female.

She tries to fend them off,
but they're undeterred.

Pinning her to the seabed,
they use their echolocation

to examine her and see if she's ready to mate.

The noise alerts another group of males.

They also want access to the female.

And they're ready to fight for it.

The groups bombard each other
with a deafening barrage of sound.

DOLPHIN NOISES

The sounds normally used to stick together
now become an intimidating weapon.

Their head to head body postures
and open mouths all signal aggression.

These encounters can escalate into violence

but this time, the intruders back off.

The calf watches and learns.

He's growing up in a dangerous world.

It's the end of August,
the sea is at its hottest.

On the reefs, the rising heat
is now putting life under serious pressure.

Corals are very sensitive.

If summer water temperatures rise
just one degree above average

it can have catastrophic effects.

The growing heat drives the corals to eject
the symbiotic algae that normally feed them.

Without their algae, the corals lose
their primary source of food

and in just a few days, they turn white.

If the temperatures stay too high
for too long, the corals will die.

And the animals that rely on them
will lose their food and shelter.

The sun, once the engine of life

now threatens to destroy it.

The whole of the tropical Atlantic
now balances on a knife—edge.

And three thousand miles to the east,
a catastrophic event is building.

In Cape Verde, off the coast of Africa

the hot winds from the Sahara
are whipping the sea into a frenzy.

The favourable conditions Sévère
and his men rely upon are changing.

Water evaporating from the warm sea
generates turbulence and the Saharan winds.

These are dangerous conditions.

Sévère makes the decision to turn back.

He knows what's coming.

A tropical storm is brewing.

The fishermen have packed up their boats.

Storms blow over quickly here

because the trade winds
blow them on across the Atlantic.

But as they travel, some storms,
grow into monsters.

A chain reaction begins.

The hot waters and winds combine
to drive a constant cycle of convection.

Warm air rises from the sea,
lifting moisture to create vast banks of cloud.

More air is sucked in below
and a vortex begins to form.

The storm roars across the ocean,
growing stronger with every mile.

When the winds reach seventy—four miles an hour,
this storm finally earns a new name.

A hurricane is born.

An unstoppable force of nature...

... with the Caribbean right in its path.

The countdown to destruction has begun.

Animals and corals, already close
to breaking point from the rising heat

will soon face a violent and deadly as*ault.

The warm seas that nursed them
through the first part of the year

now fuel a storm that threatens them.

Everything is about to change.

Thirty—six hours before an impact

the first signs of the coming hurricane appear.

Ocean swells roll across the once tranquil sea.

An official hurricane warning is issued.

With twenty—four hours to go,
winds hit thirty—five miles an hour.

The dolphins seek refuge in deeper water.

Survival depends on sticking together.

This is when their ability
to communicate will really count.

On land, those unable to evacuate
must batten down the hatches and wait.

Twelve hours before landfall

huge walls of thunderstorms
bring intense bands of rain.

Winds now gust to over
seventy miles an hour.

They batter the mangroves.

A rising surge of water,
driven on shore by the wind

engulfs the coastline.

The sea is an impenetrable murk.

At their peak, winds can hit
one hundred and twenty miles an hour.

The relentless power of the sun

has turned paradise into hell.

Hurricanes are one of the deadliest
natural forces on the planet.

On land, they destroy property,
but people can seek refuge.

Animals at sea have no protection at all.

Hurricanes can break up dolphin groups

leaving stragglers lost and vulnerable.

Alone, a young calf is easy prey for sharks.

The mangrove forests
bore the full brunt of the storm.

Their life giving sediments
are violently churned.

The torpid water appears lifeless.

But the roots make the mangroves

a safe haven.

Manatees head deep into
the mangroves during hurricanes

knowing they will find safety.

The trees act like a living crumple zone.

The roots dissipate the destructive energy
better than any seawall.

They calm the waves and tame the surge.

The mangroves are the Daribbean's storm shelter.

The roots protect the precious fish nurseries.

and in the aftermath,
they slow the moving water

allowing sediments to settle
and the waters to clear.

The mangroves don't just
protect against hurricanes.

They can also benefit from them.

The storm surge disperses
mangrove seedlings far and wide.

And these will take root in
clearings in the forest.

The sanctuary for the tropical Atlantic
will continue to grow.

Out on the reef, hurricanes take the energy
out of the overloaded system.

Some corals are damaged,
but the torrential rain cools the waters.

The corals will take back their algae.

The reef will thrive again.

Off the Bahamas, hurricanes have been known
to devastate dolphin groups.

The only way a stranded calf will survive

is to reunite with the group.

Nature has a way of bouncing back.

In groups that do lose calves

scientists have found that females
come back into oestrus more quickly than usual.

The result, is a baby boom.

It's time for the group to reinforce all bonds.

Life in the tropical Atlantic
resumes where it left off.

For now, all is calm in paradise.

but soon, the heat will build,
once again.

The sun creates opportunities for life,
yet it can also bring destruction.

All living things here must learn
to survive both heaven and hell

the vast opposing forces
of this extraordinary ocean....

... the Atlantic.

The warm, sun drenched shallows
of the Caribbean Sea are teeming with life.

The Atlantic team spent more than
three hundred hours underwater

all across the Caribbean

and met some very special animals.

From the tranquil lagoons of Belize...

... to the sandbanks of the Bahamas...

...and the spectacular caves
of the Cayman Islands.

But to reveal some amazing
new discoveries about corals

the team had to turn to science
for a new way of looking at the world.

Scientists have recently discovered that
some corals appear to have a natural sunscreen.

And to reveal this in its full Technicolor glory,
the team had to leave their usual habitat.

In Miami, the only US city
actually built on a coral reef

there's one place where corals
are always in the spotlight.

Colin Foord is a marine biologist
and cameraman, with a passion for corals.

Just the man to help producer,
Renée Godfrey

get the unique images of these
amazing animals that she's hoping for.

And in your photography
and filmmaking of these corals.

You're trying to take people
really into a, into a...

Yeah into a... into a micro—universe
—Into a micro—world.

Coral reefs are built by colonies of tiny animals.

Colin studies them with lenses
that can magnify up to two hundred times.

He rescues corals which are threatened
by dredging in Miami's waterways

and relocates them to protected areas
on the city's outskirts.

Colin takes small samples of the city's corals

to study how well they cope with pollution
and rising temperatures.

Some of his work involves a combination
of science and photography.

COLIN: Corals are mysterious animals,
they're mysterious creatures.

I see them as the most alien and cosmic
of the organisms on the planet

and I find that to be incredibly intriguing.

Colin uses blue light
and zoom lenses with special filters

to reveal something that is
barely visible to the naked eye

and impossible to film in daylight.

Now Renée is able to see
exactly what she came looking for.

Under the blue light, the corals fluoresce.

Pigments in the coral absorb
the ultraviolet component of the blue light

and reemit it in different colours.

In the wild, it's thought this adaptation
protects the coral

from the sun's damaging ultraviolet rays.

Oh, they really have opened up, haven't they?
—Mm—hmm.

The corals put out tiny tentacles
to catch food from the water

and with time—lapse photography,
the crew make the images even more revealing.

COLIN: The coral is almost working
on a different timescale than the human timescale.

You know, everything's
much slower for a coral.

Working in a laboratory, we can film
for a long period of time and then speed up.

So you start to see the way that the coral...
You can see the mouth eating and moving.

You look at them and they don't
look like they're, they're very animate

but once you stop and sort of observe them,
you realise just how alive corals are.

Just the most amazing colours.
—It's really, wow.

Renée has got the shots she came for.

Revealing the coral's extraordinary adaptation
for coping with the tropical sun.

But for Colin, filming these beautiful images
is part of a wider mission.

You're showing corals in a,
in an incredibly artistic way. — Yes.

On the one hand, we just want the corals be able to,
to present themselves, you know?

Corals are these living art forms.

The natural beauty of these corals
can sell themselves to the public as to...

you know, why should
we care about the coral reefs?

Perhaps you'd never been able
to get so close to a coral, you know.

Well, look at these beautiful organisms.

Specialist photography is helping us
to learn more and more

about these extraordinary life forms.

With passionate people
like Colin on their side

these cosmic corals of the Atlantic
may have a bright future

with no end to what his camera might reveal.