Human Planet Streaming

[Melissa Hassel]

Jet streams are like twelve-lane highways in the atmosphere. Fast-moving jets of air that circle the globe and are usually found at the height that commercial airlines fly. Jet streams exist because of temperature differences. The sun warms the Earth unevenly because our planet has an orbit and its axis is tilted, so regions around the equator get more solar warmth than regions around the poles. The temperature difference between the colder north and south poles with the equator causes the wind to blow in fast currents.

These jet streams play a huge role in our daily lives. For example, Pennsylvania has faced numerous energy crises because of the polar vortex, where the northern polar jet dips down really far south, bringing with it arctic cold air.

This image above shows the jet streams on June 29, 2023. Notice the faster moving lines closer to the very top and bottom of the map. Also note that in the northern hemisphere, there is the so-called subtropical jet cutting across the United States and through the northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

For months, forecasters talked about how the United States weather has been driven by what is called an Omega Block, a pesky phenomenon where the jet stream stops moving predominantly west to east across the country and instead moves in big, blocky waves.

The second map zooms in on the United States during the same time period and highlights this wavy, omega-like jet stream pattern, which existed for all of May and into July. This blockiness locked in profound weather changes, including extreme heat in Texas, numerous tornado outbreaks across the plain states and deep south, as well as providing a pathway for wildfire smoke to travel from Canada to our airspace in Pennsylvania.

Climate change research gives us a good clue about what is going on. Man-made global warming is rapidly heating the planet and much of that heat is being recorded as big temperature spikes at the poles. For instance, the North Atlantic is in the midst of a never before seen increase in ocean temperatures of 5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Arctic Sea ice has plummeted so much recently that scientists expect it to be ice-free in the summer by the end of this decade. And global average temperatures in June are currently running close to a degree warmer than any month in recorded history.

In the short-term, extreme weather is only going to get worse. Natural cycles in global climate patterns are also changing. They will enhance the human-induced changes we just discussed, including a rapid warming of the east Pacific Ocean called an El Nino pattern that also causes significant changes to the jet stream and US weather patterns.

Humans burning fossil fuels and warming the planet are having far-reaching impacts, going so far as to now change the fundamental dynamics of the planet's jet streams and adding to the long and growing list of extreme weather harming the Commonwealth. The question has long been: can and should we do anything about global warming in Pennsylvania? Yet, as we more deeply change the climate, the question shifts to how fast can we do everything to stop this madness?

Today is the 50th annual Earth Day. To celebrate, filmmaker Michael Moore has made an ecological documentary he was involved in free to watch online. Planet of the Humans, which Moore produced, is streaming now, and reveals the heavy environmental impact of renewable energy and the problems with solar energy, wind energy and biogas, among other forms of power.

Planet of the Humans director Jeff Gibbs, who co-produced Moore films like Fahrenheit 9/11 and Bowling for Columbine, told Reuters: "The fact that within days [of coronavirus lockdown] animals are coming back and the skies are blue tells us that we don't have to build a million square miles of solar panels or buy a zillion electric cars. If we just slow down and stop we can make a tremendous difference instantly."

"This film is the wake-up call to the reality we are afraid to face: that in the midst of a human-caused extinction event, the environmental movement's answer is to push for techno-fixes and band-aids. It's too little, too late.

"Removed from the debate is the only thing that MIGHT save us: getting a grip on our out-of-control human presence and consumption. Why is this not THE issue? Because that would be bad for profits, bad for business.

Moore is not the first person to release movies for free online in recent weeks as entertainment companies work out how to deal with the current shutdowns due to the coronavirus. At the start of April, HBO made over 500 hours of its programming available for nothing, including movies like The Lego Movie 2, The Bridges of Madison County and the documentary The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley about Elizabeth Holmes.

The story of astronaut George Taylor continues in Beneath the Planet of the Apes, where he discovers a subterranean society of mutated humans worshiping an ancient nuclear bomb, leading to a catastrophic battle that could change the fate of both humans and apes on the planet.

The fourth film in the original series takes place before the first Planet of the Apes movie, serving as a prequel and franchise origin story, where intelligent apes are enslaved by humans as laborers and pets. This leads to a revolution against human oppression, igniting a violent conflict that threatens to reshape the power dynamics of society.

Serving as a sequel to the Conquest of the Planet of the Apes prequel, this fifth franchise installment continues the Planet of the Apes origin story. Can the apes and remaining humans find a way to establish peace in this post-apocalyptic world?

Mark Wahlberg stars in this Planet of the Apes reimagination film directed by Tim Burton. More than a remake, this installment of Planet of the Apes involves significant changes to the plot and characters of the original film. While it retains the basic premise of humans encountering intelligent apes on a distant planet, there are many new elements and twists to the storyline.

The story of Caesar continues in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, picking up from the aftermath left by the events of Rise of the Planet of the Apes and a mere decade after a deadly virus killed most of humanity.

In the third and final installment in the reboot series, War for the Planet of the Apes continues the narrative of Caesar and his struggle to survive and co-exist with humans as he and the apes are forced into a war with humans led by a merciless colonel.

Airborne aerosols can cause or prevent cloud formation and harm human health. These maps depict aerosol concentrations in the air based on how the tiny particles reflect or absorb visible and infrared light.

Satellite images of Earth at night have been a curiosity for the public and a tool of fundamental research for at least 25 years. They have provided a broad, beautiful picture, showing how humans have shaped the planet and lit up the darkness.

Greenness is an important indicator of health for forests, grasslands, and farms. The greenness of a landscape, or vegetation index, depends on the number and type of plants, how leafy they are, and how healthy they are.

Whether started by humans (farming, logging, or accidents) or by nature (lightning), fires are always burning somewhere on Earth. These maps show the locations of fires burning around the world each month.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in a different part of the world? What would the weather be like? What kinds of animals would you see? Which plants live there? By investigating these questions, you are learning about biomes.

These maps show the average amount of water vapor in a column of atmosphere by month. Water vapor is the key precursor for rain and snow and one of the most important greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

There's no end to the educational opportunities that exist, and the series is a perfect way to broaden your family's understanding of the world and its inhabitants. Each episode offers lessons in geography, history, anthropology, and social behavior.

The series encourages curiosity and a greater respect for the world's diversity and the adaptability of the human spirit. Viewers experience the lifestyles of people from all walks of life and far-reaching corners of the globe, witnessing their struggles for survival over the elements of nature.

Graphic footage of predators and human hunters killing and eating prey. Some customs involve violence, including one case that shows village people beating each other with sticks to prove their courage.

Parents need to know that Human Planet is a beautiful series from the makers of Planet Earth and Life that chronicles the struggles and triumphs of the planet's most adaptable inhabitants: humans. From the majestic jungles of South America to the barren Sahara Desert, this show introduces viewers to an array of indigenous people and their lifestyles, so there's plenty of opportunity for learning. Very young children and sensitive kids might be bothered by the graphic scenes of animals being killed by predators and by humans, so be sure to gauge your kids' readiness for this issue. What's more, there is plenty of nudity (male genitalia, buttocks, and female breasts) related to some subjects' customs. But if your kids can handle these aspects of this stunning series, then it's a great choice for the whole family.

From the makers of Planet Earth and Life comes another sweeping documentary about nature and its inhabitants: HUMAN PLANET. Narrated by John Hurt, this series turns the cameras on Earth's diverse human population, chronicling mankind's impressive ability to adapt to any surroundings and to overcome the daunting obstacles of the natural world. The show visits some of the most remote locations in the world to witness how the indigenous people use ingenuity and minimal resources to survive harsh elements, deadly native species, and limited options for food.

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