Curated Video
The Satellite Story
What is a satellite, why are they important, and how have satellites changed our understanding of the Solar System? Physics - Universe - Learning Points. Any object orbiting a planet is called a satellite. Moons are examples of natural...
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Climate Zones
What makes one region of Earth so dry, and another so wet? And what impact does this have on landscapes, wildlife and weather? Earth Science - Weather - Learning Points. Our climate shapes our planet's habitats and biodiversity. Climate...
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Earth: Our Unique Planet
Where does Earth fit into the Solar System and what makes this planet unique? Physics - Our Solar System - Learning Points. Earth is the third planet from the Sun. 71% of Earth is covered in liquid water, which is vital for life. Earth...
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Weather Systems
What causes different kinds of weather? What is wind and where does it come from? How can pressure systems help us predict the weather? Earth Science - Weather - Learning Points. Understanding weather systems is the key to reliable...
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What is a Tornado?
What makes a tornado nature's most dangerous storm? Scientists are working to identify the unique set of circumstances which combine to create a tornado. Earth Science - Weather - Learning Points. Tornadoes are a violent, spinning vortex...
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Killer Heat Wave
Heat waves form when an area of high pressure becomes stationary over a region. The heat wave that struck Chicago brought hot sunny tropical weather, but its effects were devastating. Earth Science - Weather - Learning Points. A heat...
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Types of Weather: Introduction
The weather systems on our planet are all driven by one thing: air. Discover how our weather is driven by energy from the Sun, affecting the movement of air. Earth Science - Weather - Learning Points. Our weather is a chaotic and complex...
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Low-Level Clouds
How do the clouds closest to the Earth affect our weather? How are they formed and what do they look like? Earth Science - Weather - Learning Points. Temperature, humidity and air pressure produce ten different types of cloud. Those at...
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Coriolis Effect
What is the Coriolis effect? How is it produced and how does it affect our weather? Earth Science - Weather - Learning Points. The way wind blows determines thunderstorms to hurricanes. The Coriolis Effect is a deflection of moving mass...
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Types of Weather: Rain
Rain is essential to our planet. Without it, all life on Earth would struggle to survive. How do rain clouds form and what determines whether it rains or not? Earth Science - Weather - Learning Points. Rainfall comes from the clouds...
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How to Make Fake Snow
Snow forms in the atmosphere as a result of water molecules attaching themselves to nuclei bacteria. But scientists have found ways to manipulate the freezing process of water and the production of these nuclei to create snow...
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Cloud Seeding
Scientists have found a way to make it rain. But weather modification has its critics, and there may be unforeseen consequences surrounding the "cloud seeding" process. Earth Science - Weather - Learning Points. When silver iodide is...
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Galtür: The Perfect Storm
The worst avalanche in 40 years destroyed countless buildings and killed many people in this Austrian village, but it was factors 4,000 kilometres away that caused this disaster. Earth Science - Weather - Learning Points. Galtur is a...
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Global Warming
Earth has always had changeable weather, but now the world's climate is getting warmer. What is global warming, why is it a problem and how can we stop it? Earth Science - Human Impacts - Learning Points. Most scientists agree that human...
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The Lost City of Peru
Over 2,000 years ago, a little known civilisation called the Moche dominated the North coast of Peru. Huge palaces and amazing artifacts were abandoned, buried under sand after a mass evacuation. Why? Earth Science - Weather - Learning...
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Monsoon Zone
Around the world monsoons bring huge volumes of seasonal rain to certain regions. The best known is the Asian monsoon, but why does it happen? Earth Science - Weather - Learning Points. Monsoons are heavy rainfalls concentrated over the...
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What is an Orbit?
How the orbit of the planets is dictated by mass and the force of gravity. Physics - Our Solar System - Learning Points. The curved path of one object around another is its orbit. Objects orbit due to the effects of gravity. The...
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Avalanches
Whether they are slow slab avalanches or hurtling powder avalanches, these powerful snow slides can be extremely destructive and it can take as little as a weak snow layer to cause them. Earth Science - Weather - Learning Points....
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Climate Cycles
How climatologists use ice cores, cylindrical cones of ice drilled from glaciers, to reveal Earth's historical cycles of climate change. Earth Science - Human Impacts - Learning Points. The Earth has natural, long cycles of climate. The...
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Troposphere
The lower and most dense part of the atmosphere, extending to an altitude of about 20km at the equator and 11km at the poles. A Twig Science Glossary Film. Key scientific terms defined in just 60 seconds using stunning images and concise...
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Weather
The state of the atmosphere at a specific time and place, including factors such as temperature and pressure, wind speed, and precipitation. A Twig Science Glossary Film. Key scientific terms defined in just 60 seconds using stunning...
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Climatology
The study of climate, long-term weather patterns and behaviour, rather than its short-term fluctuations. A Twig Science Glossary Film. Key scientific terms defined in just 60 seconds using stunning images and concise textual definitions....
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Weather – Big reveal
What is it? ... They are giant hailstones! People and places - Physical geography - Weather A Twig Tidbit Film - Big Reveal. The image zooms out from an extreme close-up to full frame. The children have to guess what the image is.
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Water and weather – Pixelate
What is it? ... It's rain on a puddle! Physical processes - The Earth and beyond - Water and weather A Twig Tidbit Film - Pixelate. A pixelated image unscrambles. The children have to guess what it is.