Everest Weather - Data is in the Clouds | National Geographic

Summary

In a groundbreaking expedition, a team endeavors to install the highest weather station on Mount Everest, aiming to enhance our understanding of climate change in the region. The team faces logistical challenges and extreme conditions, installing a network of stations at various elevations, including one above 8,000 meters. Utilizing machine learning, they aim to provide real-time data on weather patterns, contributing to climate forecasting and filling gaps in our knowledge of high-altitude climate change.

Takeaways

• 🏔️ The expedition aims to install the highest weather station in the world on Mount Everest to better understand the climate conditions and changes in the region.
• 🌍 High mountain regions, like Everest, are experiencing climate change at a faster rate compared to other areas.
• 🔬 The team's primary role is to install a network of weather stations, including one at an unprecedented altitude.
• 💡 Real-time data transmission is crucial for monitoring weather patterns, and the stations require sufficient power to send this data.
• 🌬️ The weather station measures various parameters including wind speed, thermal radiation, temperature, humidity, and precipitation.
• 🤖 Machine learning is being utilized to forecast weather in a novel way, enhancing the understanding of climate change.
• 📈 Multiple stations are being installed at different elevations, from Fort St to Camp 2 and the South Col, to gather comprehensive data.
• 🧗 Climbing Everest is a significant physical and logistical challenge, requiring years of skill development and adaptation to the harsh environment.
• 🛠️ The team faces the challenge of operating electronics and instruments in extreme temperatures and high wind speeds.
• 🕒 Time is of the essence during the installation of the weather station, with a limited window of optimal conditions.
• 🌟 The successful installation of the highest weather station provides valuable data for planning future climate change scenarios.

Q & A

What is the main goal of the expedition to Mount Everest?

The main goal is to install the highest weather station in the world to improve understanding of weather patterns and climate change in the Mount Everest region.

Why are high mountain regions like Mount Everest important for climate studies?

High mountain regions are changing faster than other places around the world, with higher elevations warming at faster rates than lower elevation regions.

What is the role of the speaker in the expedition?

The speaker's major role is to install a network of weather stations, including what they hope to be the highest weather station in the world.

What kind of data does the weather station collect?

The weather station measures wind speed, thermal radiation, temperature, humidity, and precipitation.

How does the team plan to use the data collected from the weather stations?

The team plans to use machine learning to provide a different approach to weather forecasting and fill in gaps in understanding how the climate is changing.

What are some of the challenges faced when installing weather stations at high altitudes?

Challenges include the need for a lot of power for data transmission, operating electronics at extreme temperatures, and dealing with exceptionally high wind speeds.

Why is real-time data transmission important for the expedition?

Real-time data transmission allows the team to monitor what is happening on the mountain as it occurs, which is crucial for understanding the dynamic and changing conditions.

What is the significance of installing a weather station at Base Camp?

Installing a weather station at Base Camp is critical for observing and measuring meteorological processes on the glacier.

What preparations does the team need to make before attempting to install a station above 8,000 meters?

The team needs to be efficient, work as a team, and be prepared to deal with the uncontrollable and hostile environment of high altitudes.

How does the team plan to overcome the logistical challenges of the expedition?

The team plans to be as efficient as possible, work together, and be prepared to adapt to the challenging conditions of the mountain environment.

What is the potential impact of successfully installing the highest weather station?

Successfully installing the highest weather station could provide valuable information for planning future scenarios of climate change.

Outlines

00:00

🏔️ Everest Weather Station Expedition

The script details an ambitious expedition to install the highest weather station in the world on Mount Everest to better understand the region's climate change. The team aims to push the boundaries of knowledge by quantifying the climate in one of the planet's most extreme environments. The script highlights the challenges of installing a network of weather stations, including the need for significant power to transmit data in real-time. The weather station is designed to measure various meteorological factors such as wind speed, thermal radiation, temperature, humidity, and precipitation. The use of machine learning is mentioned as a novel approach to weather forecasting. The script also discusses the logistical and physical demands of the task, the importance of each station's location, and the technological challenges of operating in extreme conditions.

05:03

🌟 Climbing Everest for Science

This paragraph continues the narrative of the Everest expedition, focusing on the team's preparations and the challenges they face. The team is nervous yet confident, aware of the weather's critical role in their success. They plan to take advantage of the lowest winds and highest oxygen levels during sunrise to install the station. The team must work efficiently, as they have a narrow window of about three hours to complete the installation. The script conveys a sense of worry about potential mistakes and the resilience required to face an indifferent and hostile mountain environment. The successful installation of the highest weather station in the world is celebrated, emphasizing its significance for future climate change planning and scientific research.

Keywords

💡Everest

Everest, also known as Mount Everest, is the Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Himalayas. In the video, Everest represents the extreme environment where the team is attempting to install the highest weather station. It is central to the video's theme of exploring and understanding climate conditions in one of the most challenging and remote places on Earth.

💡Climate conditions

Climate conditions refer to the atmospheric conditions that define the climate of a region, including temperature, precipitation, humidity, and wind patterns. The video discusses the importance of quantifying these conditions on Everest, as they are crucial for understanding weather patterns and climate change, especially in high mountain regions.

💡Weather station

A weather station is an observatory for making meteorological observations used to record data on weather conditions. In the context of the video, the installation of a weather station at the highest elevation is a significant achievement aimed at improving real-time weather data collection and analysis in the Everest region.

💡High mountain regions

High mountain regions are areas with significant elevation that often experience unique and extreme climate conditions. The video highlights that these regions are changing faster than other places around the world, with higher elevations warming at faster rates, underscoring the urgency of studying these areas for climate research.

💡Machine learning

Machine learning is a type of artificial intelligence that enables computers to learn and improve from experience without being explicitly programmed. In the video, machine learning is mentioned as a tool that can provide a new approach to weather forecasting by analyzing the data collected from the weather stations.

💡Real-time data

Real-time data refers to information that is processed and analyzed as it is collected, without any significant delay. The video emphasizes the importance of real-time data transmission from the weather stations to monitor and respond to the dynamic weather conditions on Everest.

💡Thermal radiation

Thermal radiation is the transfer of heat by electromagnetic waves, which is a significant factor in high-altitude environments. The weather station measures thermal radiation, which is essential for understanding the heat balance and energy exchange in the Everest region.

💡Precipitation

Precipitation refers to any form of water that falls from the atmosphere and reaches the ground, such as rain, snow, or hail. The video mentions that the weather station will measure precipitation, which is vital for understanding the hydrological cycle and water availability in the Everest region.

💡Logistical challenges

Logistical challenges refer to the practical difficulties involved in planning and implementing an operation, especially in a remote or harsh environment. The video describes the exceptional logistical challenges of installing weather stations on Everest, including the physical demands and the need for efficient teamwork.

💡Resilience

Resilience is the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties or to withstand adverse conditions. In the video, resilience is highlighted as a key attribute for the team members, as they must be prepared to deal with the uncontrollable and hostile environment of Everest.

💡Climate change

Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. The video's main theme revolves around the installation of a weather station to gather data that will help plan for future scenarios of climate change, emphasizing the importance of understanding and preparing for these changes.

Highlights

Everest is one of the most extreme environments on the planet, with climate conditions never fully quantified.

An ambitious attempt to install the highest weather station in the world to improve understanding of weather patterns and climate change in the Everest region.

High mountain regions are changing faster than other places, with higher elevations warming at faster rates.

The major role of the expedition is to install a network of weather stations, including the highest one ever.

Real-time data transmission is crucial for observing meteorological processes on the mountain.

Weather stations require a significant amount of power to transmit data effectively.

The weather station measures wind speed, thermal radiation, temperature, humidity, and precipitation.

Machine learning is being used to provide a new approach to weather forecasting.

Multiple stations are being installed, including one at Fort St, one at Base Camp, one in Camp Two, and one at the South Col.

An attempt to install a station above 8,000 meters is a significant challenge.

Climbing Everest is difficult and requires years of skill development to deal with the constantly changing environment.

The base camp rover is critical for observing and measuring meteorological processes on the glacier.

Electronics need to operate at extreme temperatures and high wind speeds, presenting a significant challenge.

The expedition is logistically challenging and physically demanding, especially at high altitudes.

The team is prepared to deal with the uncontrollable and hostile environment of Everest.

The team has a narrow window of about three hours to install the station at optimal conditions.

The highest weather station in the world provides valuable information for planning future climate change scenarios.

The successful installation of the weather station on the balcony is a significant achievement.

Transcripts

everest is one of the most extreme

environments

on the planet and nobody has ever fully

quantified

the climate conditions up there

we're going to be pushing the envelope

attempting to

install the highest weather station in

the world

to improve our understanding of weather

patterns

and climate change in the mount everest

region

these high mountain regions are changing

faster

than other places around the world

the highest elevations are actually

believed to be warming

at faster rates than other lower

elevation regions

my major role in this expedition is to

install

a network of weather stations including

what we hope to be the highest weather

station in the world

[Music]

we're here installing the lowest of our

network of weather stations

firstly to transmit the data we require

quite a lot of power

if the system doesn't have enough power

it will refuse to transmit data

that would mean we couldn't see what was

going on in real time which is what we

really want we want to know in real time

what's going on on the mountain

the weather station sees a whole year's

worth of weather possibilities

measuring the wind speed thermal

radiation

temperature humidity and precipitation

we can use machine learning to provide a

totally different approach to how you

can forecast weather

we are filling in gaps in how the

climate is changing

there are multiple stations going up

including one at fort st

one station at base camp one in camp two

another at the south call and then we

will

attempt to install one above eight

thousand meters

let's face it climbing everest is still

a very difficult thing to do

it takes years of time developing the

skills the confidence

the ability to deal with a constantly

changing mountain environment

to deal with the cold to deal with a

high altitude

and you can't fake it pretty snug

but not so snug that i'm pushing really

hard against my face

and then just set your reducer right on

top and then you're going to be spinning

the bottle counterclockwise

this morning we have installed what we

call the base camp

rover it's critical to have the station

here on the glacier to be able to

observe and to measure the

meteorological processes

we've got electronics that need to

operate at extreme temperatures

exceptionally high wind speeds having

instruments that can work in those sorts

of environments

has been a big challenge and that plane

is good so yeah tying everything

have you already

[Music]

there's a reason that some of this has

never been done before

logistically it's exceptionally

challenging

it's physically demanding in and of

itself just to climb and function up at

8 000 meters

to try to do science up at some of these

elevations is an added

challenge

i think people are feeling as good as we

can at this stage of the expedition and

uh

we're excited to move up to camp too

[Music]

as a scientist we're used to having to

be patient with things and this

expedition has been no different

it's been nothing but eat sleep think

everest for the last nine months

camp jew station is in

this environment is uncontrollable it's

hostile

it doesn't care whether we're successful

on our expedition

and we have to be prepared to deal with

that as best as possible

it's 10 45 p.m i'll be lying if i said i

wasn't

a bit nervous i am i know how big the

challenge is ahead

i feel very confident in our team

we know that we may be limited by the

weather so we're going to try and get up

there

just as the sun is rising when the winds

are lowest

we have maximum for oxygen about three

hours to install the station

we need to be efficient and work as a

team

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

a bit worried there won't be everything

clearly

we may make a mistake that means we

leave those stations

in a position that's sub-optimal that

they're not transmitting

the dark jackets

the sun's about to come up

my fear is i won't know my limitation

they're all their efforts for nothing

[Music]

it's about being resilient in the face

of a mountain really doesn't care about

you

temperatures

it's a rare opportunity to come here and

do a scientific expedition like this

[Music]

this is the highest weather station in

the world

that gives us information to plan for

future

scenarios of climate change

now washington dc

i've got to be the hype that's been

installed

the balcony

such a great job

[Music]

you