Descent Into the Ice

Although it's ultimately a bit anticlimactic, this NOVA episode does introduce viewers to an eerie, dangerous, otherworldly, and little-seen landscape in which a small team of intrepid "glacionauts" dare to delve into the subfreezing waters found deep within the glaciers of Mont Blanc, the highest peak in the Alps of Western Europe. The goal is to discover the mysterious and treacherous lakes hidden within the mountain (the result of glacial melting runoff), and then try to predict when and if they might cause deadly flooding of alpine villages (as happened in 1892, when 200 lives were claimed by a midsummer cascade of mud and water). A fascinating process fraught with numerous hazards (such as frozen air regulators on the scuba gear) and full of natural oddities (did you know that water can remain in a liquid state at subfreezing temperatures, under certain conditions?), this chronicle of the expedition boasts stunningly beautiful photography, along with some humorous asides related to the occasional tedium of scientific research. Unfortunately, this is also one of those rare NOVA programs that suffers from the whims of Mother Nature: try as they might, the glacionauts ultimately fail to locate an actual glacial lake. Still, in science as in life, the journey is what fascinates. Recommended. Aud: J, H, C, P. (J. Shannon)