Synopsis
Iain Stewart investigates what causes monsoons.
- Programme: How Earth Made Us
- Episode: Water
- Channel: BBC Two
- Broadcast year: 2010
- Geography | Natural hazards | Tropical storms | Formation of a tropical storm
Licence: ERA Licence required
UK only
Staff and students of licensed education establishments only
Cannot be adapted
Add Notes
More clips from How Earth Made Us
2: Water | How Earth Made Us
2: Water | How Earth Made Us
Professor Iain Stewart continues his epic exploration of how the planet has shaped human history. He investigates how water has influenced the r...
Groundwater | How Earth Made Us
Groundwater | How Earth Made Us
Iain Stewart explores the natural phenomenon of groundwater.
Ice | How Earth Made Us
Ice | How Earth Made Us
12,000 years ago, much of the northern hemisphere was covered in ice.
The River Nile and early agriculture | How Earth Made Us
The River Nile and early agriculture | How Earth Made Us
Iain Stewart explains the important role that the Nile played in early Egyptian agriculture.
The water cycle | How Earth Made Us
The water cycle | How Earth Made Us
Dr Iain Stewart explains the different stages of the water cycle.
More resources about Extreme weather events
Britain's Wild Weather | Panorama
Britain's Wild Weather | Panorama
Justin Rowlatt visits communities around Britain battered by this year's extreme weather - unprecedented rainfall, sunshine and sustained h...
Somerset: After the Floods
Somerset: After the Floods
The Somerset Levels faced a natural disaster in the winter of 2013. The village of Moorland was entirely engulfed by the floods. This follows thos...
2020 | Britain's Wildest Weather
2020 | Britain's Wildest Weather
Footage of the most extreme weather conditions in the UK over the past year, from the worst floods in a decade and a freak landslide in Fife...
Hurricane Melissa: The Storm That Hit Jamaica | BBC News
Hurricane Melissa: The Storm That Hit Jamaica | BBC News
One of the most intense Atlantic hurricanes on record made landfall in Jamaica with 185mph winds. Category 5 Hurrica...
Prisoners of Katrina | This World
Prisoners of Katrina | This World
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, while thousands fled New Orleans, the city's prisoners were trapped. Fresh eye-witness accounts rev...
Coastal Erosion and Storm Surges | Britain's Wildest Weather
Coastal Erosion and Storm Surges | Britain's Wildest Weather
New sandscaped coastal defences were built to protect the low-lying village of Walcott from flooding, but how di...
Storms | Britain's Most Extreme Weather
Storms | Britain's Most Extreme Weather
From the tidal surges that flooded North Sea coasts and the hurricane force winds that battered our western shores. Further back we r...
From Mild to Wild | Britain's Wildest Weather
From Mild to Wild | Britain's Wildest Weather
Meteorologists explain how and why British weather can go from mild to wild, for example Storm Brendan's impact in Slough on 2020.
Hurricanes and damage | Fierce Earth
Hurricanes and damage | Fierce Earth
A list of some of the most devastating hurricanes and their financial damages.
S1E1: Hurricanes | Fierce Earth
S1E1: Hurricanes | Fierce Earth
The team encounters the most feared event in weather - the hurricane. Florida-based stormchaser Mike takes us on a wild ride into the eye of ...
S1E2: Wildfires | Fierce Earth
S1E2: Wildfires | Fierce Earth
The team investigates wildfires and discovers how they rage all over the world leaving a trail of devastation and destruction. We travel to Co...
S1E6: Thunderstorms | Fierce Earth
S1E6: Thunderstorms | Fierce Earth
At any one time it is estimated that 2000 thunderstorms are happening across the world. The team investigate what makes the thundercloud s...
UK Floods | Britain's Wildest Weather
UK Floods | Britain's Wildest Weather
Footage from across the UK in February 2020, the wettest month on record.
Why do hurricances spin? | Fierce Earth
Why do hurricances spin? | Fierce Earth
Hurricanes have a spinning motion due to the rotation of the earth.
01: Waiting for the Rains | Wonders of the Monsoon
01: Waiting for the Rains | Wonders of the Monsoon
From India to Australia, all life awaits the transforming power of the monsoon rains.
02: Deluge | Wonders of the Monsoon
02: Deluge | Wonders of the Monsoon
From India to Thailand and Cambodia, the Asian monsoon makes its grand entrance, the bringer of life and the destroyer.
03: The Drought | Wonders of the Monsoon
03: The Drought | Wonders of the Monsoon
During the part of the year that the monsoon does not bring rain, the winds reverse, bringing dry air instead.
04: Strange Castaways | Wonders of the Monsoon
04: Strange Castaways | Wonders of the Monsoon
On the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, the combination of monsoon and volcanoes has created a paradise.
05: People of the Monsoon | Wonders of the Monsoon
05: People of the Monsoon | Wonders of the Monsoon
This episode examines the relationship between nature and the people of the monsoon.
3: Lightning | Dangerous Earth
3: Lightning | Dangerous Earth
Dr Helen Czerski examines the hottest natural phenomenon on the planet - lightning. High-speed cameras show the secrets of upward lightning th...
More from Iain Stewart
1: Deep Earth | How Earth Made Us
1: Deep Earth | How Earth Made Us
Series telling the story of how the development of civilisation was influenced by planetary forces. Professor Iain Stewart explores the rol...
5: Rare Earth | Earth: The Power of the Planet
5: Rare Earth | Earth: The Power of the Planet
Life on Earth prospers because it enjoys the right amount of heat from the sun, and the atmosphere prevents meteorite bombardm...
Episode 1 | Planet Oil: The Treasure That Conquered The World
Episode 1 | Planet Oil: The Treasure That Conquered The World
From the moment we first drilled for oil, we opened a Pandora's box that changed the world forever. It transfor...
Eurasia | Rise of the Continents
Eurasia | Rise of the Continents
Professor Iain Stewart shows that where the south of Eurasia is today there was once an ocean and how, in 250 million years, all of the cont...
1: Life From Light | How to Grow a Planet
1: Life From Light | How to Grow a Planet
How plants have driven the greatest changes to the Earth. Prof Iain Stewart shows how they first harnessed light from the sun and c...
Iceland Erupts: A Volcano Live Special | Volcano Live
Iceland Erupts: A Volcano Live Special | Volcano Live
Kate Humble heads to Iceland and meets the scientists monitoring the country's most dangerous volcanoes. She also inves...
4: Scotland's Water | Making Scotland's Landscape
4: Scotland's Water | Making Scotland's Landscape
Professor Iain Stewart reveals how Scotland's unique landscape was shaped. Here, the story of how Scotland's waters became ...
1: Deep Time | Men of Rock
1: Deep Time | Men of Rock
Iain Stewart tells the story of James Hutton, the founding father of geology. This Scottish thinker overturned ancient beliefs about how and when ...
1: Tsunamis | 10 Things You Didn't Know About...
1: Tsunamis | 10 Things You Didn't Know About...
Iain Stewart journeys across the oceans to explore stories about the most powerful giant waves in history, including how one...
The Geology of Japan | Journeys into the Ring of Fire
The Geology of Japan | Journeys into the Ring of Fire
Iain Stewart explains the geology of the tectonic plates that make up the landscapes of Japan.