Second of a six-part series about the Soviet Union's remotest and coldest frontiers.

Minor temperature fluctuations in the polar regions have a profound effect on the rest of the world and the Arctic has become the focus of research into sun-spots, atmospheric haze and the ozone layer.

Living for months at a time on a floating raft of polar ice, a small band of scientists investigate the climate and environment while contending with Moscow's inefficiencies - inadequate food, obsolete equipment, uncertain relief and an erratic air supply.

A BBC/NHK production in association with Gostelradio
(Teletext subtitles: page 888)