Did you know the National Science Foundation through the United States Antarctic Program sends roughly 3,000 people to Antarctica annually to conduct research and provide support services to the researchers (you can look for openings here if you’re dreaming about ditching your desk job)? And the U.S. is just one country among many conducting ongoing polar research each year.

Antarctic Edge: 70° SouthThis stunning trailer for the new documentary “Antarctic Edge: 70° South” gives us a sneak peek at what it’s like to live and conduct research at the edge of the world. From perilous ocean crossings to constantly shifting pack ice, Antarctica presents one of the most dangerous environments in the world.

We also see the rapid changes underway, such as islands emerging from beneath glaciers and warming conditions impacting wildlife. And we get a sense of the urgency behind the research, as one of the individuals captured in the film solemnly observes, “In my lifetime, that whole area of Earth has changed.”

The feature-length documentary — slated for release later in the year — is being produced by the Rutgers University Film Bureau in partnership with the Rutgers Institute for Marine and Coastal Sciences with support from the National Science Foundation. Dena Seidel, director of Rutger’s Center for Digital Filmmaking, directs the film. View Ensia homepage