FIVE MILES HIGH: JET STREAM
BBC Two: Monday 10 July 2006 11.20pm-12.20am
Scientists are gradually unravelling the mysteries of the jet stream, a high altitude river of air that aids air travel and drives some of the most extreme weather patterns on the planet.
The documentary examines the discovery of the jet stream during World War II with archive footage and interviews with pilots and looks at how it affects us now. The 1987 storms in Britain were attributed to the phenomena and it is bringing more stormy weather to Western Europe.
THE JET STREAM: FOUR FACTS
During World War II the Japanese used the air stream to fly balloons at 30,000 feet across the Pacific to the USA.
The jet stream is caused when warm air from the tropics meets the air from the poles and causes an extreme temperature difference. These fast moving air streams cause a high-speed jet, which can be more than two miles deep.
The jet stream is the reason why transatlantic flights are quicker going from America to Europe.
