What’s The Deal With These Heat Waves? | Neil deGrasse Tyson Explains...

What is a heat wave? On this explainer, Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Chuck Nice explore the massive heat waves that have been sweeping the world with Director of NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, Gavin Schmidt.

Learn what qualifies something as a heat wave. We break down the extreme heat happening globally and the pressure it's been putting on current infrastructure. Why exactly are we seeing more of the extreme heat? We get into the jet stream and wave patterns in the Earth’s atmosphere. Why do we pay attention to extreme heat in some regions but not others? Will someplace become unlivable? Finally, learn about the last ice age and what sorts of changes our climate is facing. What’s our heat limit?

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Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up!

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0:00 - Introduction
1:29 - NASA GISS
3:26 - What is a Heatwave?
5:08 - UK Heatwave
7:15 - Climate Change
10:31 - Climate Variability
14:00 - Global Temperatures
21:06 - Dangers of Climate Change
23:07 - Closing Notes

[camelot]

That perspective on how the avg temp was in the ice age vs industrial rev vs where we are now was crazy insightful. Context is everything

[logix]

I'm glad to see people taking this seriously. I'm from the U.K (unfortunately) and whenever we have high temperatures, people immediately jump to mocking us, because they reckon they have it worse elsewhere, like it's some sort of sick competition to see who has it worse, which it isn't. They don't realise that unlike a lot of other places, we don't have anything to prepare us for or to help us through a heatwave. As Gavin rightly pointed out we have no A.C, that's just not a thing that's readily available outside of the commercial sector. Our houses were designed to trap heat in for the colder temperatures, which is what we experience for the majority of the year. The brickwork is several layers thick with insulation in-between. The windows are double or even triple-glazed, with an air pocket sealed in and lined with a rubber seal. When the 40+°C heatwave hit, it was absolutely HORRIFIC for us. We were warned to stay indoors by the Met Office who had issued red weather warnings and it was clear why - I had to go out on that day and within less than a minute of being outside it felt like my eyes were going to literally burst. Despite having been drinking lots of water beforehand I was incredibly dehydrated by the time I'd reached the end of the street. Things were melting, there were fires everywhere (including just down the road from me), anything metal (and even painted wood) was simply too hot to touch. it was genuinely very dangerous and I dread to think what it would've been like for the elderly folk. Thank you all for approaching the subject with a level of respect, this may be the first time I've heard Americans talking about the situation over here with any level of understanding.

[radman]

Rail track buckling happens far more now that track is continuous welded. That was done to remove the noise and improve the comfort of passengers that comes about when plates are used to join the track sections together. The old method of plates had a built in gap between the sections which facilitated expansion and contraction.

[JuniorJr...]

I'm in Brazil in the middle of winter, in a particularly cold region, and this year we are facing a heat wave that I've never seen before. 31°C (87, 8°F) since the beginning of the season, no rains, and the humidity level is extremely low. Things are going really bad, folks.

[furusaogoge]

I so loved how this began! Dr. Tyson, an incredibly smart man, begins by saying the topic isn't his area of expertise so he interviews someone who is. In a country full of overly confident ultracrepidarians, it's a blessing that one of our best and brightest is a lifelong student and a model for us all.

[emuahemuah]

Look at it this way: if your body temperature goes up +2C your are not feeling well, +4C you're hospitalized, +6C you're dead. Our beautiful planet provides us with air, water, food, a rich ecosystem with everything to sustain billions life forms, and most people take it for granted. Meanwhile it costs billions for a few men to survive in the international space station. There is no beach to relax, no mountain to hike, no jungle to trek. It is just an aluminum can. Maybe it is time we stop considering nature gifts are free and invest in nature's conservation big time.

[mau]

I'm so glad Neil agrees Phoenix is spitting distance from the sun during summer ☀️. Amazing winters though, even Star Talks like these are really nice . Thank you for all the work you all do and stand for .

[SBryan]

Dude they need to do a longer episode with Gavin! He put it in perspective for me. I never believed climate change to be anything serious but now I look at it differently.

[garybowler]

Chuck Nice is an excellent addition to this conversation, he brings intelligent conversation and humor.

[randymetellus]

I love this show. I use to feel like I couldn’t understand space and science but recently I find myself watching these videos and i have to say my experience have been amazing. I actually feel smart. A little.

[djimoncolbert]

Very insightful conversation, need more people to recognize whats going on around the world. Thanks Neil

[blackdragongametech]

Sir Neil and Chuck, I'm from a tropical climate (Balochistan, central Asia) and we got heavy heavy rain this July. Villages got wiped out and bridges got blown away. I have never seen so much rain in my entire 30 years of life.

[quellenathanar]

When I was 11 I got the strong flu, high fever, etc... My mom wanted to know if I was delerious. She asked if I knew where we were. I thought about it, and I was always interested in science, so I told her we were in space, thinking I would give her the snarky smart kid answer. As it turns out, my mom was not a student of science, and it earned me a trip to the emergency room. The Dr. understood /shrug.

[TrainfanJanathan]

My parents used to say, "every winter, it gets colder, and yet scientists believe in global _warming?_ "

[thewb]

Most people were not aware of the meaning of 2 degrees Fahrenheit difference on AVERAGE which doesn’t sound like much.
Chuck is insightful in the idea about developing some kind of scale that would get people to understand the true severity of climate change.

[DmDrae]

Using ice age units really helped me understand how far we’re moving in the other direction. This is the runaway greenhouse effect they taught us about 25 years ago in action. Terrifying to think our Venus stage is that much closer 🤯

[paulvamos]

Keep looking up! Thank you Neil, Chuck and Gavin for that climate explanation.

[heronimousbrapson]

Although the summer temperatures in the British Columbia interior can get quite hot for Canada, the town of Lytton reached a temperature of 121 degrees F. in 2021. It was noted that even Las Vegas has never been that hot.

[vidalgonzalez]

Mr Tyson amazing interview. You are a amazing person. Keep your head in the science and still represent the everyday person. We need you.

[fireup]

UK had a 2 day heatwave of 40 degrees. The rest of the Summer has been pretty normal, if unspectacular. Last Summer wasn't that hot, most days were cloudy.