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How does a thermal form?

Our planet’s heat is provided by the sun, however our weather is often driven by heat radiated from the Earth’s surface. As the sun heats different surfaces and areas of the globe unevenly, weather results. These differences create thermals which create clouds and pressure differences, leading to wind.

An outdoor experiment in a quarry demonstrates how thermals are formed. Paper helicopters are used to show the rising air. Links to previous clips are made, for example it is thermals that keep hail stones suspended inside thunder storms.

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4 minutes