How Scientists Are Trying To Predict The Next Big Disaster
1510:00:00 - Blizzards: Blizzards affect mankind every winter, across every continent. Combining ice cold temperatures, snow and extreme wind, this mother of all storms is a living hell that has the power to paralyse entire countries. From the prairies of Canada to Northern China, this episode explores the destructive and unpredictable nature of blizzards.
0:51:28 - Earthquakes: More than a hundred earthquakes occur each year. They can annihilate a city in just a few seconds. Tokyo, Istanbul, Los Angeles… Some of the biggest cities in the world are under threat. Fortunately, our understanding of earthquakes is becoming more and more accurate. Almost everywhere on the surface of the globe, a vast network of GPS trackers have been installed on mountains as on great plains. Researchers from all over the world are now focusing on one single objective: Anticipating the exact moment when the Earth will move.
1:43:09 - Lightning: Thunder, lightning bolts. Forces of nature experienced by all of us. Storms are a natural phenomenon that take place in a specific set of conditions. Lightning can take different forms and not all forms will necessarily strike the ground. It can cover kilometres in the sky and pass from one cloud to another. We examine how electric fields are formed inside clouds and how lightning determines its target on the ground.
2:34:95 - Tornadoes: They’re huge funnels of wind fallen from the sky, travelling at great speeds, sweeping up everything in their path. One of the most affected countries is the USA, which experiences approximately 1,200 tornadoes every year. With wind speeds inside their vortex reaching up to 500 km per hour and travelling at the speed of a high-speed train, tornadoes are capable of destroying everything in their path. But how do they start? How can we predict them and minimise their destruction?
3:26:13 - Mudslides: Tons of mud and earth hurtle down the mountainside. A phenomenon so powerful, it can transport huge blocks of stone. A mudslide is the liquid form of a landslide. Over the past 10 years, mudslides have claimed over 50,000 lives. How can we explain these incredibly powerful phenomena and what are the scientific forces at work?
Subscribe to Spark for more amazing science, tech & engineering videos: https://goo.gl/LIrlur 🚀
Join the Spark Channel Membership to get access to perks:
Watch the best history documentaries, with 50% off your first 3 months, on History Hit: https://historyhit.com/subscribe Using the code SPARK
Find us on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SparkDocs/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spark_channel/
Any queries, please contact us at: owned-enquiries@littledotstudios.com
#Spark