Preparing for the winter storms, a bulldozer piles up a protective bank on the north shore. The coast line has become increasingly vulnerable to erosion as the sea ice retreats. More open water allows waves to build up in the fierce Arctic winds. Point Hope lies south of lease site 193 where oil giant Shell plan to drill in 2012. There is scarcely any other place on earth that present conditions more severe and inclement for man than the Arctic.