Paul Nicklen uses his camera to reveal the nature of the changing polar regions due to the effects of a warming planet.

"I call myself an interpreter and a translator," says Nicklen. "I translate what the scientists are telling me. If we lose ice, we stand to lose an entire eco-system. I hope we can realize through my photography how inter-connected these species are to ice. It just takes one image to get someone's attention."

He has indeed managed to get people's attention. Whether he is ice diving among leopard seals in Antarctica, covering hundreds of miles of terrain in -40°F temperatures, or mastering aerial shots from his ultralight plane, Paul Nicklen has specialized in photographing polar regions since 1995. A unique childhood among the Inuit in Canada's Arctic and a professional background as a biologist in the Northwest Territories enable him to take on the most inhospitable places on our planet. His images reflect a reverence for the creatures inhabiting these isolated and endangered environments.

Paul has published over 15 stories for National Geographic magazine, including 2011's August cover story on the elusive Spirit Bear. His latest story was on gold prospecting in the Yukon in the February 2014 issue. His book, Polar Obsession, was published by National Geographic in November 2009 and was in its third printing within months of publication. He has received more than twenty international awards, including 14 awards with World Press Photo(including 2012 Grand Prize), three with Pictures of the Year International, and ten with BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year, the 2012 NRDC Biogems Award, and the 2012 UVIC Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award. Paul's most recent National Geographic book, Bear: Spirit of the Wild, was published in 2013.

In addition to his TED2011 talk, appearances on television shows such as Jeopardy! and in YouTube videos receiving millions of hits have recently thrust him into the popular culture spotlight.

Paul lives on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.