Alexis Madrigal: Welcome to Forum. I’m Alexis Madrigal. I can’t be alone because I’ve always wanted to go to Antarctica. Something about the strangeness of the land and the remoteness of the place—something about the lack of human destruction, something about the sheer challenge of getting there and surviving.
Our guest this morning, Ariel Waldman, just spent two months in Antarctica with a team of researchers, and managed to film an entire film on his own with his tiny cameras. The first parts of this work, Life on Earthpremieres tonight on PBS. Welcome to ForumAriel.
Ariel Waldman: Thank you so much for having me. I am really happy to be here.
Alexis Madrigal: Of course, I should say that PBS is KQED TV. Perfect. Okay, let’s talk about going to Antarctica. I will live vicariously through you. How did you come to leave? How did you get there?
Ariel Waldman: Okay, yes. So getting to Antarctica is a multi-month process. You have to get what we call “PQ’d,” with physical knowledge. So you go through a lot of tests—seeing doctors, getting blood drawn, physical exams, everything. All things begin.
But actually getting to Antarctica is a journey of many hours, and many days. From my home in San Francisco, I fly to New Zealand. And from New Zealand, we take a C-130 military aircraft for eight hours.
Alexis Madrigal: Wait—what’s it like inside?
Ariel Waldman: On the C-130, it’s narrow. It was not designed for passengers. There are no seats—just cargo nets. You walk like that for eight hours.
Alexis Madrigal: So by “empty seats,” you mean there are nets and you’re sitting on a net?
Ariel Waldman: He is sitting on the net.
Alexis Madrigal: Like a hammock?
Ariel Waldman: You sit on the net, and they roll it full. You’re bumping your knees with your fellow passengers because there’s not enough room to put your feet together. So you are surrounded by everyone on the plane for eight hours. And by the way, there is no toilet.
Alexis Madrigal: Wait – so what do you use?
Ariel Waldman: There’s a real jar—like a paint jar—and they put a curtain over it. For eight hours, it’s the only place to go.
It can be longer than eight hours, because if you take this trip, you may encounter very bad weather, you cannot reach Antarctica, and then they will take you back to New Zealand. Then you have to try again the next day.
Alexis Madrigal: Oh my God. So no snacks, you say?
Ariel Waldman: They give you a packed lunch, but yeah – it’s bare bones.
Alexis Madrigal: It’s like Meals Ready to Eat—very military in that way. Yooh. It is very interesting. So who do you have there? Some scientists, but also support staff, right?
Ariel Waldman: Yes. Lots of staff, lots of support staff, lots of scientists. Because the New Zealand and American bases are so close, you get a lot of Kiwi explorers as well as Antarctic explorers, and we all fly together.
Alexis Madrigal: And what were you going down there to do? What kind of research were you involved in?
Ariel Waldman: I was on the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long-Term Ecological Research team. They have spent more than 30 years studying this Mars-like environment, looking at everything about its environment.
I joined the soil group, looking for tiny animals that could tell us more about the environment. Our team is known as “worm breeders,” because we are always looking for nematodes.
Alexis Madrigal: When people think of Antarctica, they think of ice and snow and cute penguins huddled together. These valleys are not dry.
Ariel Waldman: No. Much of Antarctica is covered in ice—up to three kilometers thick in some places. It is larger than the US and Mexico combined, and 98 percent is covered in ice.
But the largest ice-free area is the dry valleys, and it’s very similar to Mars. This isn’t because of climate change—it’s because the mountain range blocks ice from entering the area. So you get this dry, arid environment where you can walk on the continent itself.
Alexis Madrigal: When you say “like Mars,” do you mean just cold, or something more specific?
Ariel Waldman: Many things. It’s cold, but dry is important—less than 10 percent humidity, almost no rain. No rain at all, and only the occasional light snow.
Also, you have six months of darkness and six months of sunlight, because it is near the Southern River.
Alexis Madrigal: Yooh. So the C-130 drops you off at McMurdo Station. How are your accommodations?
Ariel Waldman: We stay in McMurdo for the first week because everyone has to go through survival training, environmental principles, learning how to camp, what to do if you’re stuck in a storm.
So that first week is always preparation.
Alexis Madrigal: Were you scared?
Ariel Waldman: No—because of training. You are never alone, and you always know what to do. The American Antarctic Program is very comprehensive.
When they drop you off in a helicopter, they give you survival bags—so if a storm prevents you from boarding, you can set up camp and survive on your own. Everything is carefully planned.
Alexis Madrigal: What’s in the grocery store?
Ariel Waldman: Food, tents, cooking utensils—the basic necessities of life.
Alexis Madrigal: There’s this amazing shot in your documentary where you’re flying over the ice in a helicopter. Do you see anything down there?
Ariel Waldman: On the sea ice, yes—you can see pods of penguins, seals, and even orcas. It’s exciting.
But once you enter the dry valleys, it’s different. A hundred years ago, explorers called it the “Valley of the Dead,” because nothing seems to live there. Sometimes you’ll find dug-up seals or penguins—animals that roam around in them but can’t survive. Dry conditions keep them for decades.
Alexis Madrigal: Yooh. So, a helicopter drops you in this area, and there’s that aerial gun – it’s just you and a few people, nothing else for miles. Were you scared?
Ariel Waldman: No. Also, you are well trained. It’s not scary—it’s just… alien.
A strange attitude is to think, “Nobody can believe this.” Every step is the same, and it feels like another planet, but you are on earth.
I especially wished I could bring more people there to experience it. That’s why I created this series – because words just don’t do it.
Alexis Madrigal: We talk to filmmaker and National Geographic Explorer Ariel Waldman about his new series Life on Earthwhich focuses on the environment of Antarctica and North America. It premieres tonight on PBS.
Let’s bring the audience into the conversation. Have you ever been to Antarctica? Do you want to go? Call us: 866-733-6786, or email forum@kqed.org.
Spending time in these Mars-like dry valleys—has that changed the way you think about humans going to Mars?
Ariel Waldman: Really. I served on a National Academy of Sciences committee focused on the sustainability of human spaceflight and the possibility of a Mars program.
Most people think that getting to Mars is just one step harder than the Moon—but it’s a lot harder. Space, space—it’s a vast space.
It is possible that one day we can send people to Mars, but it will require a lot of money, political will and international cooperation. It is not something that one nation can do alone.
Alexis Madrigal: Why so many countries?
Ariel Waldman: Because it would cost billions of dollars over decades. Even the US would struggle to do it alone.
Alexis Madrigal: So it won’t be Elon Musk?
Ariel Waldman: He is not alone. It requires cooperation. And if you’ve been paying attention, he’s also focused on the Moon. I think he meets some of those challenges.
Alexis Madrigal: We talk to Ariel Waldman about her new documentary series Life on Earth. We’ll learn more about Antarctica’s environment – and ours – after the break.
You can call us at 866-733-6786. I’m Alexis Madrigal. Stay tuned.
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