Snow is eagerly awaited each winter because it is crucial to the balance of mountain ecosystems, as many high-altitude animal and plant species depend on it for their survival.
But with global warming, is snow destined to disappear? In the Alps, as in the eastern United States, the evidence is clear: in addition to rising temperatures, snowfall is decreasing and the snow cover period is becoming shorter. Teams of scientists are considering the consequences for animals and plants that have adapted to snow. The lack of snow threatens Alpine species: what will the future hold for animals such as marmots or plants such as snowbells if there is no insulating blanket of snow? And in the North American forests of New Hampshire, how will trees survive hard frosts without this protective layer?
The decline of snow could have many other repercussions. In France, winter sports resorts are already having to deal with an increasingly uncertain reality. Illustrated with stunning imagery shot in North America and the French Alps, this documentary presents some of the mountain dwellers that anxiously wait for the arrival of snow – an annual event that can no longer be taken for granted.
