TDF
How does weather work? Every living beyond across the globe experiences the temporary inconveniences of foul weather or the disastrous impacts of more extreme atmospheric conditions – from hurricanes to torrential rains to suffocating droughts. But very few people understand the true nature of weather. Temperature: The Driving Force seeks to rectify this.
The most crucial ingredient to weather is temperature. The film explores the various iteration of weather to teach one unifying lesson – that each component of our weather is unimaginable without the presence of heat.
A series of experiments are conducted to illustrate this theme. In one segment, the crew attempts to harness and release waves of heated air that effectively manipulate the atmosphere from below. In another, they create their own mini-dust storm, and demonstrate how such a storm can travel a mere 25 miles yet propel its debris an additional 2,000 miles.
Why does a raindrop require the existence of dust before it can form, and what is the origin of freezing rain? What accounts for the phenomenon of sintering, a process by which snow can coagulate and form a solid mass? Why is fog colored white when consists of clear water? How can a car radio clue you in on an approaching lightning storm, and what is the real sound that erupts from within a violent thunder strike?
The wild weather occurrences that are explored in the film might feel commonplace to many, but their inner workings are surprisingly complex. The experiments that are employed to illustrate this aren’t performed in a controlled laboratory using state of the art equipment. They’re carried out in deserts, forests and snow-capped mountains, and utilize amusing everyday barometers like dune buggies, ink pens and party balloons.
The film is just one in a series of documentaries that explore the natural elements. Journalist and host Richard Hammond infuses each installment with an inquisitive and giddy enthusiasm. Subject matter that might be dry and uninvolving in lesser hands is made personable and infectiously entertaining. The filmmakers travel from the Sahara Desert to the freezing landscapes of Quebec to the rural backdrops of the United States.
