Melt-Water Funnel

Melt-Water Funnel

Nature, third prize stories

2005

Channels of melt-water funnel into a seal's breathing hole. In recent years, satellite pictures have shown a dramatic reduction in Arctic ice cover. In 2007, sea ice reached a record low, a situation which many attribute to global warming. Sea ice—frozen seawater that moves with the ocean currents—provides an important habitat and resting place for many animals. A polar bear's tracks cross melting snow. Ice is the very essence of the ecosystem of the Artic. In recent years satellite pictures show a dramatic reduction in Artic ice cover, which reached a record low in 2007. Many attribute the situation to global warming.

Commissioned by: National Geographic

Photo Credit: Paul Nicklen

As a young boy, Paul Nicklen, a Canadian-born polar specialist and marine biologist, moved to Baffin Island and spent his childhood among the Inuit people. From them he learned the love of nature, the understanding of icy ecosystems, and the survival skills that have helped him to become one of the most successful wildlife and nature photojournalists.

As an assignment photographer for National Geographic magazine, Nicklen has produced 16 stories covering a variety of issues related to conservation and natural history—from the slaughter of narwhals to salmon farming to the importance of sea ice and polar ecosystems in this new climate era. Despite the personal peril he often faces while working in some of the planet’s most remote and harsh environments, Nicklen travels constantly in search of meaningful stories that can help touch people’s emotions and help the public connect with Earth’s marine and polar realms.

Nicklen has received more than 20 international awards, six of which were from World Press Photo, including the first prize for nature stories in 2010; three with Pictures of the Year International; and ten with BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year including the grand prize awarded to him in 2012. In 2012, the National Resources Defense Council awarded him the first Biogems Visionary Award, and he also received the Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award from his alma mater, the University of Victoria.