NHK Special: What Happens in the Arctic Does Not Stay There will air at 9 p.m. on the 23rd. The program will use satellites and AI to explain how Arctic warming and meandering westerly winds lead to heatwaves and torrential rain in Japan.
NHK Special: What Happens in the Arctic Does Not Stay There will air on NHK General TV from 9 p.m. on the 23rd. The program aims to use the latest science to explain how global-scale changes are connected to local weather and the mechanisms behind them.
Rapid warming in the Arctic is reducing sea ice and changing the atmosphere, causing the westerly winds to meander. This phenomenon is seen as a factor contributing to heatwaves in Japan during the summer. The program will also explain the increased risk of torrential rain caused by rising sea temperatures, known as “atmospheric rivers.”
Using satellites, AI and reporting from locations around the world, the program will unravel the global chain of events. Featured guests include Noguchi Soichi (野口聡一), who brings a perspective from space, Ishikawa Kasumi (石川佳純), Professor Tachibana Yoshihiro (立花義裕), a meteorologist, and Professor Emori Seita (江守正多), among others.
After the broadcast, the program will also consider how to view the global climate crisis and how we should respond to it. The host will be announcer Morishita Erika (森下絵理香).