0:00:02 > 0:00:04# Wormy fish-killers Convoys of caterpillars
0:00:04 > 0:00:06- # Super-clever, brainless slime... - Ugh!
0:00:06 > 0:00:08# Bunny rabbit swarms, raging storms
0:00:08 > 0:00:10# And pigs that swim at dinner time
0:00:10 > 0:00:13# Tornadoes of fire Starfish going haywire
0:00:13 > 0:00:15- # Algae balls from space... - What?!
0:00:15 > 0:00:17# Prairie dogs that chat Birds going splat
0:00:17 > 0:00:19# And fish slapping in your face
0:00:19 > 0:00:21# They're wild and weird, wild and weird
0:00:21 > 0:00:24# Really, really wild and really, really weird
0:00:24 > 0:00:25# They're wild and weird, wild and weird
0:00:25 > 0:00:27# They're really, really wild
0:00:27 > 0:00:29# They're really, really wild and weird... #
0:00:29 > 0:00:34Coming upon on today's show, a perfect storm of the peculiar kind.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37Hail that could give you a nasty headache.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39A tornado that's a bit hot under the collar.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42And the desert that is helping to save the rainforest.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59Shorts, sun cream, sun hat...
0:00:59 > 0:01:02Come on, Tim, we're going to miss our flight.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05Don't worry about me - big Timmy is ready.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07What on earth are you wearing?
0:01:07 > 0:01:09- My outfit. - We're going on a beach holiday.
0:01:09 > 0:01:10To Siberia!
0:01:10 > 0:01:12You can't go dressed like that -
0:01:12 > 0:01:15you'll freeze to death two seconds after stepping off the plane.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17Don't worry, though, I've got a spare survival suit in here,
0:01:17 > 0:01:19underneath the inflatable ice station.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23You do know it can get quite hot in Siberia during summer?
0:01:23 > 0:01:24Yeah, good one!
0:01:24 > 0:01:28Next you'll be telling me you can visit Easter Island all year round.
0:01:28 > 0:01:29I'm not joking.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31Here, look.
0:01:31 > 0:01:36For most of us, Siberia conjures up images of a freezing,
0:01:36 > 0:01:40desolate landscape - an endless expanse of icy oblivion.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45Siberian weather is renowned for being extreme.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47The temperature can get down to -20
0:01:47 > 0:01:50on regular occasions during the winter.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52But I guess less is known about the summer conditions,
0:01:52 > 0:01:57but the typical temperature during daytime summer would be high 20s.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01Yes, it turns out that even Siberian summers can be scorchers.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06Yeah. I think I might go and change.
0:02:09 > 0:02:14And in 2014, temperatures along the River Ob soared even higher.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19On this particular occasion in July 2014,
0:02:19 > 0:02:23the temperature had started to reach the low 40s, 41 degrees,
0:02:23 > 0:02:26extreme heat in the middle of the continent.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30That's better.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33The locals were quick to take advantage of the glorious weather,
0:02:33 > 0:02:36flocking down to the river's edge to soak up the sun.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39But something strange was on the way.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42Suddenly, the clouds built -
0:02:42 > 0:02:43grey, leaden skies.
0:02:43 > 0:02:48The temperature fell from 41 degrees down to 25 in just the space
0:02:48 > 0:02:50of ten or 15 minutes.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54Terror was about to rain down from the skies.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56Terror raining down from the skies!
0:02:56 > 0:02:59What? Lightning? Fireballs?
0:02:59 > 0:03:01No, rain.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04Rain, raining down from the skies?
0:03:04 > 0:03:06That's hardly terrifying, is it?
0:03:06 > 0:03:07What about frozen rain?
0:03:07 > 0:03:09- You mean hail?- Mm.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11Again, hardly terrifying, is it?
0:03:11 > 0:03:13Really?
0:03:13 > 0:03:16Because this was a hailstorm of truly epic proportions.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18And when I say epic proportions,
0:03:18 > 0:03:21I'm referring to the hailstones themselves.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23So, typically, hailstones are about the size
0:03:23 > 0:03:26of a pea, maybe about 1cm across.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30But, on this occasion, they were about the size of a golf ball.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32Yikes!
0:03:32 > 0:03:35The locals, dressed only in their flimsy swimwear,
0:03:35 > 0:03:36were sent fleeing for cover,
0:03:36 > 0:03:40cowering under towels and sun umbrellas to escape this
0:03:40 > 0:03:46apocalyptic assault which lasted for almost quarter of an hour.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48I think I might go get changed again.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52So what on earth was going on?
0:03:52 > 0:03:55Well, the sudden change in weather was caused
0:03:55 > 0:03:58by a wall of cold air moving in from nearby mountains,
0:03:58 > 0:04:01creating the perfect conditions for hail.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04But why was it giant hail?
0:04:04 > 0:04:07You know how hail forms, right?
0:04:07 > 0:04:08Yeah.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13In the hail machine in the sky and it comes out...
0:04:13 > 0:04:15- You've got no idea, have you?- No.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19Well, hail starts life as water droplets.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22Cold conditions cause them to freeze inside clouds,
0:04:22 > 0:04:25and when they become too heavy, they fall to earth.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29But the Siberian heat wave meant there was a bed of warm air rising
0:04:29 > 0:04:34up from the ground which held the hail up in the clouds for longer,
0:04:34 > 0:04:37allowing it to become super-sized.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39And you really don't want to be around
0:04:39 > 0:04:41when these mega hailstones touchdown.
0:04:42 > 0:04:47Small-sized hailstones may hit the ground at about 20mph.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51But the larger hailstones, the hailstones we're looking at here,
0:04:51 > 0:04:54probably reach the ground at about 110mph.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56- Ouch!- Exactly.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59Just check out what happened to this car
0:04:59 > 0:05:01when the driver ran into a storm of giant hail.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05Ohh! Looks like they're going to need new a windscreen...
0:05:05 > 0:05:06and a new bonnet...
0:05:06 > 0:05:09and probably a new car, to be honest.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11So, next time you're heading down to the beach,
0:05:11 > 0:05:14remember to pack your towel, suncream
0:05:14 > 0:05:15and maybe a suit of armour.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21That is unbelievable.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24I know. Hailstones the size of golf balls.
0:05:24 > 0:05:25No.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27Unbelievable that you'd book us to go somewhere like that
0:05:27 > 0:05:29on our summer holiday.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31It's all right, I've got these for us.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35I suppose I can think of worse weather
0:05:35 > 0:05:36to encounter on your holiday.
0:05:36 > 0:05:37Really?
0:05:37 > 0:05:39Feast your eyes on this.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42When it comes to the force of nature,
0:05:42 > 0:05:45you don't get much more forceful than a tornado.
0:05:45 > 0:05:50A swirling vortex formed by winds and a rising column of hot air,
0:05:50 > 0:05:55spinning itself into a 300mph fury -
0:05:55 > 0:05:58that's almost three times the speed of your giant hailstones.
0:06:02 > 0:06:07Just look at what a tornado did to this building in Indiana, USA.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12Whoa, that's terrifying!
0:06:14 > 0:06:19I know, but there's another 'nado that's even more terrifying.
0:06:19 > 0:06:20- You don't mean...?- I do.
0:06:20 > 0:06:21A sharknado?
0:06:21 > 0:06:23Yes. What? No.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26- It's not even a real thing.- Oh!
0:06:26 > 0:06:28But this is.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31The outback, Australia's red desert centre -
0:06:31 > 0:06:34it's one of the most extreme places on the planet,
0:06:34 > 0:06:38where temperatures can soar to 40 degrees Celsius.
0:06:38 > 0:06:39A bit like Siberia.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43And in this super-dry, super-hot tinderbox of an environment,
0:06:43 > 0:06:45fire is always a danger.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49In their own right, bushfires can be a devastating, destructive force
0:06:49 > 0:06:54of nature, but imagine what happens if you throw a tornado into the mix.
0:06:54 > 0:06:55- No way.- Way.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57A fire-nado!
0:07:00 > 0:07:02That is awesome.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06A swirling vortex of fire reaching high into the sky,
0:07:06 > 0:07:10sucking up the flames from below into a column which can reach
0:07:10 > 0:07:13a barbecue-busting temperature of 1,000 degrees Celsius.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22Luckily, these fiery fiends are exceptionally rare,
0:07:22 > 0:07:27but experts studying bushfires have discovered 25km-long strips
0:07:27 > 0:07:32of torched earth where a fire-nado has raged across the landscape.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34Just imagine being chased by that.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37It would give a whole new meaning to the phrase "hot pursuit".
0:07:37 > 0:07:40- Ha-ha-ha, nice one!- Thank you.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44So whether it's the fire or just plain old regular "tor" variety,
0:07:44 > 0:07:46the 'nado family is one wild weather clan
0:07:46 > 0:07:48you might want to steer clear of.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53- I'm glad we're not going to Australia on our holiday.- Yeah.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56Speaking of which, I've got a brilliant DVD
0:07:56 > 0:07:57for us to watch on the plane -
0:07:57 > 0:08:001,001 Greatest Weather Forecasts.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02Oh. Sounds riveting.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04Something else that's riveting -
0:08:04 > 0:08:08a weird weather tale packed full of fascinating science.
0:08:08 > 0:08:09Oh, did you say science?
0:08:09 > 0:08:10- Yeah.- Hang on...
0:08:14 > 0:08:17They make me more smarter-er.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19This is the Amazon rainforest.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21No, you've lost me.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23I've only just started.
0:08:23 > 0:08:24Hang on.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27These aren't even my glasses, they're my nanny Hughes's.
0:08:27 > 0:08:28Hang on.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30Oh, there we go, that's better.
0:08:30 > 0:08:31Go on, proceed.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34The Amazon rainforest,
0:08:34 > 0:08:38one of the most biodiverse places on the planet,
0:08:38 > 0:08:41home to a breathtaking array of plant and animal species.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44There are lots of factors that go into making this incredible
0:08:44 > 0:08:47abundance of life possible, but one of the key ones
0:08:47 > 0:08:50is something called phosphate.
0:08:50 > 0:08:51Ah, yes, phosphate,
0:08:51 > 0:08:55a chemical compound derived from phosphoric acid.
0:08:57 > 0:08:58Told you.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02To put it in simple terms, phosphate is
0:09:02 > 0:09:07a nutrient in the soil that is absolutely vital for plant growth.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11Or for the division of cells and development of new tissue,
0:09:11 > 0:09:12if you'd prefer.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14All right, brainbox.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17Basically, no phosphate, no plants.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20But there's a problem.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23Because every year, when the rains come to the Amazon,
0:09:23 > 0:09:25they rinse through the top layers of the soil,
0:09:25 > 0:09:28washing away almost all of the phosphates.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32So these nefarious nutrients abscond, then,
0:09:32 > 0:09:35leaving a bio-chemical conundrum in their wake.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38Could I borrow those glasses a minute?
0:09:39 > 0:09:43- Hey!- There, now maybe we can have a normal conversation.- OK.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47So why does the green shooty stuff keep growing when the phosph-thingy
0:09:47 > 0:09:49has all been washed away?
0:09:49 > 0:09:52I don't know. Let's ask someone smart.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55As well as investigating giant hailstones,
0:09:55 > 0:10:00scientist Liz Bentley has also been looking into this rainforest riddle.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03There was some mechanism that was actually replenishing
0:10:03 > 0:10:05that phosphorus year-on-year,
0:10:05 > 0:10:09and so we were looking at where that phosphorus may have come from.
0:10:09 > 0:10:13The Amazon seemed to have a magical method for conjuring up phosphate,
0:10:13 > 0:10:16but where on earth was it coming from?
0:10:16 > 0:10:18- I don't know - B&Q?- No.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22But the actual answer may sound even more ridiculous,
0:10:22 > 0:10:25because tests showed that the phosphate miraculously turning up
0:10:25 > 0:10:28in the Amazon was actually from...
0:10:28 > 0:10:30the Sahara Desert!
0:10:32 > 0:10:33Hang on, hang on.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38- So, the Sahara desert is here. - Correct.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40- And the Amazon rainforest is here.- Yep.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42And in between is this blue thing.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44- The Atlantic Ocean.- Whatever.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47How does the phosphate get from here to here?
0:10:47 > 0:10:49Wind.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51I'm really sorry, that crept out when I jumped over the sofa.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53No, no, wind of the weather sort.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55- Eww!- Oh!- Let me explain...
0:10:55 > 0:10:59The Sahara Desert may be dry and arid now,
0:10:59 > 0:11:03but millions of years ago, a part of it known as the Bodele Depression...
0:11:03 > 0:11:06I think you'll find it's Bo Diddley.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09..was home to a giant lake where aquatic animals lived,
0:11:09 > 0:11:12died, and decomposed, leaving behind...
0:11:12 > 0:11:14A really bad smell?
0:11:14 > 0:11:17No, phosphates.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19The lake may have dried up a long time ago,
0:11:19 > 0:11:22but the phosphates are still there in the Saharan dust,
0:11:22 > 0:11:25and it's that dust which is being carried all the way to the Amazon
0:11:25 > 0:11:28with the help of a little weird weather.
0:11:28 > 0:11:29- The wind.- Yes.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33Very, very, very, very, very, very, very long distance winds.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37The satellite data showed us a three-dimensional structure
0:11:37 > 0:11:40of the atmosphere so we could clearly see that dust was been taken
0:11:40 > 0:11:44from the Saharan desert, from the surface of the Earth
0:11:44 > 0:11:47high into the atmosphere and then transported all the way
0:11:47 > 0:11:51across the Atlantic Ocean to be deposited in the Amazon basin.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55That's a distance of around 3,000 miles, and we're talking about
0:11:55 > 0:11:56a lot of dust.
0:11:58 > 0:12:04Every year, 182 million tonnes of dust is lifted from central Africa.
0:12:04 > 0:12:09Most of that dust falls into the ocean but about 30 million tonnes
0:12:09 > 0:12:12falls into the Amazon basin,
0:12:12 > 0:12:15and that provides 22,000 tonnes of phosphorus
0:12:15 > 0:12:17to that region every year.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23154,562.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25- What are you doing?- 154,563.
0:12:25 > 0:12:30I'm counting to see how many grains of phosphorus make up 22,000 tonnes.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33It's a lot more than you'd think.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35Oh, I've lost count now.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43One.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45Two.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48I'm going to save you some time, Tim, and tell you
0:12:48 > 0:12:53that 22,000 tonnes of phosphate is around 2,500 truckloads,
0:12:53 > 0:12:56which must rank this as one of the greatest long-distance
0:12:56 > 0:12:58deliveries of all time.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02So, whenever you marvel at the greeny growth of the Amazon,
0:13:02 > 0:13:06remember - it's all made possible by some old desert dust
0:13:06 > 0:13:10and the weird windy weather that blows it halfway around the world.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13Right, we'd better go and catch our flight
0:13:13 > 0:13:17and then we can start watching 1,001 Greatest Weather Forecasts.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19Oh, no, where has the DVD gone?
0:13:21 > 0:13:22- Hey!- What?
0:13:22 > 0:13:24Nice earrings.
0:13:24 > 0:13:25Oh, thanks, yeah.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27Where's this gone, then?
0:13:30 > 0:13:32# They're wild and weird, wild and weird
0:13:32 > 0:13:34# Really, really wild and really, really weird
0:13:34 > 0:13:37# They're wild and weird, wild and weird
0:13:37 > 0:13:43# Really, really wild and really, really wild and weird
0:13:43 > 0:13:47# Wild and weird! #