Between Earth and Sky, a collaborative film effort featuring CASNR's Associate Dean for Research David Weindorf, has released its second film trailer on www.betweenearthandskymovie.com.  The ground-breaking film is the first of its kind to explore global climate change through the lens of soil science. The research-based film tells the story of global climate change by shining a light on arctic soils and ecosystems, and the livelihood of Alaskan-Americans.

"This film began as a way to document the 33 years of soil science work in Alaska by recently-retired University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) professor Dr. Chien-Lu Ping," said Weindorf, who serves as the film's executive producer. "It has evolved into a feature-length film that presents findings from numerous UAF researchers, top scientists and every-day people who simplify the link between climate dynamics and soil science through their personal experiences and knowledge."

Once completed and released, Between Earth and Sky will present an array of findings, but the film's second trailer specifically highlights the volatility of arctic soils in the presence of climate change. "Audiences will see a scientist ignite escaping methane from a frozen lake," said Paul Allen Hunton, director of both the film and Texas Tech Public Television.

The filming crew departed in late April on their final trek to Alaska with a focus on capturing Native-Alaskan perspectives and the effects of coastal erosion and sea level rise in remote villages of western Alaska. Production of the film will be complete by August, then featured in numerous film festivals both domestically and internationally. The film will be offered to PBS stations across the country in 2017.

Between Earth and Sky is a collaborative film effort between the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Soil Science Society of America, University of Alaska-Fairbanks, Texas Tech University, BL Allen Endowment in Pedology in Tech's Department of Plant and Soil Science, and Texas Tech Public Media.

"We would love to premiere this film at the Sundance Film Festival, then build momentum from there," Weindorf said. "We have the technology today, to know exactly what we are doing to the planet; people everywhere are going to be mesmerized by the undeniable research presented in this film, and the perspective of those living on the last frontier."

Reporting by Stefanie McLeese

CONTACT: Michael Galyean, Dean, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Texas Tech University at (806) 742-2808 or michael.galyean@ttu.edu

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Editor's Note: For more information or to view trailers, go to www.betweenearthandskymovie.com.  #IamBetweenEarthAndSky