I have recently been matching many PBS documentaries on Nature and
Nova. (I've been
watching these via my personal media
network, incidentally.) What follows is a list of the best such
documentaries for 2013, and a brief synopsis. Also see my
recommendations for the top
PBS documentaries of 2006-7, 2008, 2009, and 2010.
Nova: Extreme Ice. Daring photographers and scientists
explore huge chasms, holes, and lakes on glaciers from Alaska to
Greenland to Antarctica. Daring and danger mix with serious science
as the teams explore the rapid increase in the rate of glacial flow
and calving. Stunning, otherworldly sights and vistas highlight the
footage.
Nature: Radioactive Wolves. Scientists examine
the health and activity of wolves and other wildlife in the deserted
zone around the abandoned Chernobyl reactor. Animals are thriving
in a human-free zone, with minimal negative impact from the
heightened radiation. Mother nature is reclaiming the landscape
with buildings and equipment decaying, forming a unique backdrop to
the extraordinary recovery of animal populations.