Chris Packham: In Search of the Lost Girl • 2018

53:16

NOVA follows a team of volcano sleuths as they embark on a worldwide hunt for an elusive volcanic mega-eruption that plunged the medieval earth into a deep freeze. The mystery begins when archaeologists find a hastily dug mass grave of 4,000 men, women, and children in London. At first they assume it's a plague pit from the Black Death, but when they date the bones, they're a century too early. So what killed off these families? The chronicles of that time describe a run of wild weather that devastated crops and spread famine across Europe. NOVA's expert team looks for the signature of a volcanic eruption big enough to have blasted a huge cloud of ash and sulfuric acid into the atmosphere, which chilled the entire planet. From Greenland to Antarctica, the team finds telltale "fingerprints" in ice and soil layers until, finally, they narrow down the culprit to a smoldering crater on a remote Indonesian island. Nearly 750 years ago, this volcano's colossal explosion shot a million tons of rock and ash into the atmosphere. Across the globe, it turned summer into winter. What would happen if another such cataclysm struck again today?

NOVA PBS • 2017 • Environment

0:00

Discover how New York City – overwhelmed in 2012 by Superstorm Sandy – has learned from that disaster, and must defend itself against rising seas and the next big storm. With 520 miles of shoreline and no coastal protection, engineers and urban planners are tackling the problem with urgency and creative engineering.

S1E1 • Sinking Cities • 2018 • Environment

33:02

In Cholula, Mexico's oldest continuously-inhabited city, the journalist inspects the world's largest pyramid for signs of a forgotten past.

S1E2 • Ancient Apocalypse • 2022 • Environment

49:00

We investigate the emerging threats posed by plastic pollution to life on Earth. The hyper-convenience of our modern way of living produces staggering volumes of plastic waste daily. Scientists now know that this waste breaks down into ever tinier pieces, spreading right across the globe and posing direct health risks, including through bioamplification of toxic additives moving up the food chain. We explore the drastic changes it will take to deliver a sustainable future for our planet.

2021 • Environment

118:10

How people drive, heat their homes and keep the lights on needs massive change. But what will it take to make it happen? Chapter 1: Electric Cars Explores aspects of modern life that need to change to protect the environment, which focuses on the switch to electric cars. Explores the obstacles in electric vehicles becoming the standard, from cost to the difficulty of charging and is the UK on track to hit the government's targets to stop emitting greenhouse gases by 2050. Chapter 2: Heat Pumps Investigation into eco-friendly alternatives to oil and gas boilers and if it's possible to build an entirely low-carbon electricity network before the government's net zero target of 2050. A futuristic house in Salford that is used to test new heating technologies in extreme conditions. How heat pumps are installed and the cost of doing so. Is hydrogen a feasible solution to home heating.

2023 • Environment

48:03

Venture into the danger zone of two volcanic craters posing widely divergent threats. Hawaii's Kilauea is a shield volcano that threatens communities with its slow-but-relentless lava flow, while the Sumatran Sinabung is a stratovolcano delivering carnage via a sudden and explosive surge of superheated gas and rock.

S2E5 • Volcanic Odysseys • 2016 • Environment