The largest river on Earth is actually in the sky - Iseult Gillespie

Explore the Amazon rainforest’s flying rivers, and dig into why these invisible waterways are essential to life on Earth.
--
The largest rainforest in the world, the Amazon, exists between two rivers - but not in the way you might think. At ground level, the Amazon River and its tributaries weave their path. But above the canopy, bigger waterways are on the move. These flying rivers are almost invisible, but are essential to life on Earth. Iseult Gillespie explores how this crucial system keeps the rainforest alive.
Lesson by Iseult Gillespie, directed by Upamanyu Bhattacharyya, Otter Studios.
Support Our Non-Profit Mission
----------------------------------------------
Support us on Patreon: bit.ly/TEDEdPatreon
Check out our merch: bit.ly/TEDEDShop
----------------------------------------------
Connect With Us
----------------------------------------------
Sign up for our newsletter: bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletter
Follow us on Facebook: bit.ly/TEDEdFacebook
Find us on Twitter: bit.ly/TEDEdTwitter
Peep us on Instagram: bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram
----------------------------------------------
Keep Learning
----------------------------------------------
View full lesson: ed.ted.com/lessons/the-larges...
Dig deeper with additional resources: ed.ted.com/lessons/the-larges...
Animator's website: upamanyubhattacharyya.com
Music: www.campstudio.co
----------------------------------------------
Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Roberto Chena, Oliver Koo, Luke Pisano, Andrea Gordon, Aleksandar Donev, Nicole Klau Ibarra, Jesse Lira, Ezekiel Raui, Petr Vacek, Dennis, Olivia Fu, Kari Teffeau, Cindy Lai, Rajath Durgada Manjunath, Dan Nguyen, Chin Beng Tan, Tom Boman, Karen Warner, Iryna Panasiuk, Aaron Torres, Eric Braun, Sonja Worzewski, Michael Clement, Adam Berry, Ghaith Tarawneh, Nathan Milford, Tomas Beckett, Alice Ice, Eric Berman, Kurt Paolo Sevillano, Jennifer Heald, Megulo Abebe, isolwi, Kate Sem, Ujjwal Dasu, Angel Alberici, Minh Quan Dinh, Sylvain, Terran Gimpel, Talia Sari, Katie McDowell, Allen, Mahina Knuckles, Charmaine Hanson, Thawsitt, Jezabel, Abdullah Abdulaziz, Xiao Yu, Melissa Suarez and Brian A. Dunn.

[@Splicer-lb5xb]

"Oh, what a whimsical and fascinating beauty" "Ofcoarse we're killing it"

[@Shri100percent]

Who's we? Blame the right people instead of the ordinary person

[@Splicer-lb5xb]

@@Shri100percent You think they'd be in power if majority of us had a spine?

[@jassimsalam]

​​@@Shri100percent The smartphone you're using now to type and read these comments, is a product of massive child labour and slavery. We are also a part of the problem, knowingly and unknowingly.

[@rere439]

That is what Average Europe and American see the original world

[@TheBreechie]

Of course!

[@dircepacheco]

This needs to be taught at schools and shown on the media, in general. People need to understand the importance of the forests for our very survival.

[@mmakotal4388]

Or just go on KZbin. You show this video in school u forget about it the next day lol just like I’m sure u did 4 month layer … 🎭 tic

[@hexwolfi]

AND the importance of recognizing and supporting the indigenous peoples who protect those forests!

[@dizoofy]

Wont happen, industrial lobbying prevents it to avoid having more complains

[@Demonsidedog]

@@mmakotal4388🥲 one day, you will forget being young 😭

[@mmakotal4388]

@@Demonsidedog yes exactly , showing this video will do nothing for kids , maybe making global warming a subject will but will u increase school time , or take away time from another subject for that

[@hessiboi_]

whoever animated this is a legend

[@hiarunkumar]

Animators: Rishav Mohanty Upamanyu Bhattacharyya

[@hessiboi_]

@@hiarunkumar oh wow i see :0 its great to see fellow brown ppl creating art for everyone to see :D

[@hansgunnoo5159]

Ikr its beautiful

[@kainingyao7873]

A flying river?! That sounds like a fantastical and magical environmental feature in a fantasy world. Very inspiring.

[@derpy_goat]

(me a dnd dm) hmmmmm *takes notes*

[@bhatkat]

River? More like the atmospheric ocean with us dwelling at the bottom with the sun powering it's restless currents that bring the rain that keeps us alive.

[@OneaeBlack]

Squint your eyes during the magic hour when the sun is going down the water droplets above you are backlit by the sun at that point, sunlight moving from the sunset would light up the water in the sky.

[@PlsStandBy]

same thoughts!! id love to incorporate flying rivers into future worldbuilding

[@Lmmixs]

The visual animation is amazing

[@TomSmith-vi1yw]

This quote hits hard "The Earth does not expect you to save her,she expects you to respect her" Forever etched in my heart, mind, and soul Thanks a lot, Ted-Ed Keep up the amazing work👌👌👌

[@leirumf5476]

It amazes me how so many people see basic respect as a chore instead of the bare minimum UnU

[@containedhurricane]

The Earth balances out everything, regardless of whether humans respect it or not. Since humans have been ruining the balance of our enclosed ecosystem, the nature is restoring it. The balancing process might look cruel to humans, but we just have to go through it

[@leirumf5476]

@@containedhurricane What's happening now feels more like "I guess this are the consequences of my own actions" than "the earth is just balancing itself". But I guess it's just a feeling, definitely not something that's been researched and proven to be true.

[@Kimoto504]

And that expectation isn't for Earth's sake. It's for our sake. She was here before humans. If humans are insane enough to make her uninhabitable to themselves and therefore go extinct, guess who will still be here: Earth. We grossly mistake our cleverness for intelligence. It's the antithesis of intelligence when it disregards the whole of what Life, the Universe and Earth herself are teaching and have taught us. The most truly intelligent people are like those natives, whatever continent they may be on. Modern culture has sold its intelligence and indeed its soul for cleverness and social, political, and societal games its collective mind cooks up.

[@MdArshad-sw6nd]

​@@leirumf5476😮p

[@rajK29_]

The animation is phenomenal... felt like I was reading/watching a graphic novel

[@containedhurricane]

It was made with a lot of drawings to make many scenes, which required a huge effort from a creative team

[@rajK29_]

@containedhurricane Yeah, being an anime fan, I'm aware of the animation process... Even the smallest of clips need so much work and effort 🫣🫣

[@ForteExpresso]

You will be proud to know that it's done by an Indian only

[@rajK29_]

@@ForteExpresso yeah I know, I saw the details in the description ✨️✨️

[@priyankagangwar6308]

​@@containedhurricanejnm?1vda❤ qq 0 , hamen 4v hu

[@clima9726]

Seeing the title, I immediately thought of Skypiea. It follows then, that I am surprised to find out that the nation who fought for the protection of these flying rivers and the rainforests, is also called Wampis.

[@ghaithchouadhi1096]

Exactlyyy

[@Shmiah]

Most likely not a coincidence. Oda did years upon years of research. Everything is connected. Everything is for a reason

[@bodystories]

Yes! Eiichiro Oda is making a masterpiece for this and future generations. He is channelizing lessons of how to be human beings connected with the all.

[@lockonstratos9806]

The Wampiiiiis!!!! The Wampiis is reaaaaallllll!!!!!!!

[@Zero_Li24]

I love your name 😊

[@thefriesofLockeLamora]

I saw a quote recently, I'm paraphrasing. "why would you assume giving land back to Indigenous people means displacing others?" Many have become so poisoned by the idea of land ownership Vis a Vis colonisation as opposed to land stewardship by Indigenous people

[@therogue1542]

Because when they took the land from Indigenous people, they displaced them also

[@captain_improbability5690]

@@therogue1542 But if they just give it back, it displaces more people.

[@AiNaKa]

to free indigenous people you would have to dismantle the united states government and that really scares people who cant imagine not living in a genocidal capitalist empire, and also people who make being american their only personality trait

[@evanneal4936]

Nobody has to be displaced, give back the land to the original natives to preside over, and everyone else just lives there, too. Like nothing happened, problem solved. There should be no reservations or "our land and their land" things going on. Basically, the reverse version of assimilation. Instead of the native nations assimilating into the major nation, it's the other way around or at least full autonomy given to the tribes and reservations.

[@captain_improbability5690]

@@evanneal4936 What if the land has been processed into a large city, and has the maximum number of inhabitants?

[@aryandixit229]

It is interesting how indigenous people have done a better job of conservation. Some people say that they have no accomplishments but I would count this in itself as an accomplishment. They have shown more far-sightedness when it comes to the future and our liveability in the environment than most others who prioritized short term financial greed.

[@barahng]

Which indigenous people? They're not a monolith, every civilization in Mesoamerica had different practices. Quite a few in the Amazon practiced slash and burn because charcoal was really the only way to make jungle soil suitable for agriculture, called "terra preta". Which is basically the same thing as they're doing now, it was just on a smaller scale. If the Aztecs had the technology and hundreds of millions of mouths to feed they probably would be doing something similar. They were willing to sacrifice thousands of people a year for good harvests I doubt they would balk at cutting down trees en masse instead. Plus, they already did cut down lots of trees for agricultural purposes. It just wasn't at a scale big enough to constitute an ecological disaster. All of the most powerful Mesoamerican civilizations engaged in a lot of geoengineering of their surroundings. Clearing out fields, cutting irrigation ditches and water reservoirs, building farm terraces, building chinampas, etc. All of which involved cutting down trees. Again it just wasn't at a scale that caused much damage because their populations were much smaller than today.

[@AttilioG]

​@@barahngVocê tem razão. A população humana cresceu demais. Talvez estejamos maiores que os dinossauros, portanto com risco de extinção. Não parece que estejamos perto de alguma solução para que isso não ocorra.

[@Epiphemma]

It’s truly very eye opening. Modern industrialization paints itself as the epitome of intelligence and evolution, yet it destroys the ecosystem which will ultimately destroy us. They make indigenous people out to be simple-minded people, yet they know deeply the importance of sustainability and reverence for other life forms. They have ancient earth knowledge.

[@amazinggrapes3045]

​@@barahngnoooo stop you're destroying their "noble savage" paradigm! lol

[@MarkBoiMC]

I love how they included the capybara :)

[@brownie3454]

ok i pull up

[@TsakaniK]

I yearn for the day when humans will put conservation over money.

[@DiegoRodriguez-cs1ow]

True I feel like there is no conversation now a days

[@EnderTender]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks this way.

[@captain_improbability5690]

As soon as money stops being something you need to survive, that is when almost everyone will focus on conservation

[@valkyriehelper]

​@@captain_improbability5690it will be too late by then.

[@wormbigail]

Me too. In my opinion, the health of the earth is money. In reality.... The health of the earth is wealth. If stocks equaled conserved land every one would be a millionaire.

[@puipuipui3304]

I got goosebumps! I’m so glad there are indigenous ppl fighting to save their homeland’s nature❤❤❤.

[@ryzenmikasa9503]

It's not only to save their homelands but they're also saving the balance of our mother nature.

[@alaskawashington]

loved this combination of an ecology and culture lesson! the description of the sky rivers themselves did make me think though, what differentiates this process from that of clouds?

[@darinarnold6976]

Seems basically the same afaik, the only extra things required for clouds are a sufficient amount of H2O and a colder atmosphere

[@jira6423]

They’re lower, narrower, and less visible. Like narrow fog

[@ConteSenzaScarpe]

Clouds are part of this process. The river metaphor is basically just describing the consistent flow of large amounts of water, it's doesn't actually happen in discrete channels like a river. Rather, it's the air over a jungle (or other high-transpiration area) in general being higher in moisture (though still only a small fraction of the air is water vapor, about 4% at the very most) and getting blown in certain directions by prevailing winds. It's basically using the metaphor of a river to explain the aerial part of the water cycle. I feel like the video does well at expressing that the vegetation is very important to maintaining precipitation patterns and its clearance is immensely disruptive, but it did really poorly at actually explaining why that is and how it works, creating new misconceptions.

[@fuseteam]

It is clouds, clouds drifts where ever the wind blows does it not? This simply highlights where these clouds come from; it's not just puddles ;)

[@ommsterlitz1805]

You know what is better finding out that the warmer the planet gets the more rain we will have around the globe and with a +10°C of climate change in the next centuries the Sahara deserts might start to have new forest growing

[@lucianoosorio5942]

“If I jumped in the river, I would probably drown. No matter how struggle and strive, I’ll never get out of this world alive.” Hank Williams Sr

[@zaaviya-e-Ghalib]

Absolutely love how this video seamlessly weaves together stunning art, well-researched content, captivating narration, and a truly enchanting soundtrack.❤️

[@caomouse8829]

The One Piece is real???

[@TheDecentt]

Oh boy time to spend 500 22 minutes episodes barely progressing anything.

[@clintcountryman4849]

It's not One Piece lol

[@clintcountryman4849]

Wampi

[@Astrotamtv]

Can we get much higheeeeer

[@Cheddar_Cheese_gaming]

Yes!!

[@justinehercthehuman]

This needs to be talked about more.

[@TrulyUnbothered]

I’m so sick of the government taking over native land

[@KitchenAd-1131]

Who cares about the natives lol? Why should I treat the Inuits with privilege in my house just because the land had Inuit descent? When they clearly killed other tribesmen for it and then got killed for it?

[@reviewchan9806]

It isn't just the government, they're doing it because the corporations that demand more resource usage for their customers are basically paying off people to clear the way. Vote with your wallet and don't buy from companies that destroy the rain forest

[@Arithmetal_info]

​@@KitchenAd-1131 lol put urself in their place and then say that again

[@KitchenAd-1131]

@@Arithmetal_info Sorry, let me rephrase that, land only belongs to someone who fought for it

[@ifratjahan7779]

If I was in their place I wouldn't even think of such a low deed in the fi​rst place @@Arithmetal_info

[@shubhampandey668]

Wow, this video is mind-blowing! I had no idea about the concept of flying rivers in the Amazon rainforest. It's fascinating to learn about these invisible waterways and how essential they are to sustaining life on Earth.

[@OneaeBlack]

This proves that keeping our trees around is essential to getting water around and to life on this planet. Destroy the trees we truly destroy ourselves.

[@ahmermirza]

This is why I absolutely adore Ted-Ed for bringing out gem pieces like this one, so people with little knowledge would learn more and understand better about this place we call home 🌍💖🙏

[@kirbymarchbarcena]

I hope this video helped a lot to open the eyes of everyone about various indigenous peoples around the world who are victims of modernizations and industrializations of companies and their own government.

[@makebreakrepeat]

And the tallest waterfall is under the ocean.

[@klerushka]

which one?

[@baconboi963]

yes, which one?

[@amirgurung6148]

Love and respect to all indigenous people of the world.

[@kiruthishamathivannan7453]

I remember Bahirathan, the king, meditated for years, asking Siva the God to bring the sky river Ganga to earth. I thought sky river is just for mythology, but here I am, hearing Sky River is always there.

[@NoonMemeWow]

Do you mean Bhageerath/Bhageerathan?

[@tekken4granted913]

TEDEd making my nights viewing more educational ❤

[@kazraven9086]

As a Brazilian I am honored to live in a country that posses an environment so beautiful as the Amazon rainforest. If you are a foreigner reading this, come to Brazil and enjoy the hikes here.

[@delorbb2298]

What people tend to not understand is that we aren't trying to save the earth. The earth will still be here with or without us. The slogan should be "save HUMANITY, plant a tree."

[@ManojKumar-vi4zw]

"Exploring the celestial wonders, where rivers of clouds flow across the expansive canvas of the sky - nature's masterpiece above and below."

[@cookiegabbyrocks]

Thank you for making these kinds of videos our communities appreciate it more than you know

[@groenpaardje]

Beautiful playful animation! The illustration is gorgeous and I love the shot perspectives. Real artistry at work here :)

[@lotsoffreetime8392]

Man these big companies are trying to gain more profits even knowing the cause and effect of it

[@captain_improbability5690]

That is what companies are there to do. They make profits.

[@Sara-iu8fd]

Genuinely wish that they get more recognition sooner 😢

[@afaris88]

The title & thumbnail made me think that they were talking about a mythical flying river, when in fact it was a real one. Great video as always 👍

[@Heroesflorian]

People: "There exists no magic in the real world!" The real world: **flying rivers**

[@kitokatofu]

im so fascinated by this... God, they need more support!!!

[@leocremonezi]

The indigenous communities in South America are constantly facing threats! It is the same here in Brazil! We must protect the indigenous people and ensure they continue preserving the forests in South America

[@funnyoneeyy]

so beautiful i cried. in this greedy world, they are the opposite.

[@shreyakulkarni9240]

omg this was SUCH an AMAZING VIDEO!! GREAT animation, crisp and touching script and etching message!

[@crazylobster-minhaz]

the arts style is absolutely gorgeous

[@gauravsarjerao8726]

Animation is so Beautiful.. I feel that Environment..😍very proud moment when I saw Upamanyu Bhattacharya's name in the description..this animated & Directed by Indian studio.

[@Miamcoline]

Thats an incredible approach and I hope its adopted wherever possible as soon as possible. So many of the critical processes we're destroying are so intangible.

[@OneaeBlack]

Humidity is just water in the air, technically we're all under water even on land.

[@aiyabanana2849]

I'm intrigued with these flying rivers... I know about those jetstreams and underwater sea rivers.... But this one is new to me!

[@chetanyadav271]

I'll die to wTch hour long lectures of super hard subjects with this kind of animation!!

[@s.a.6009]

Thanks for unforming about Nia tero. Thrir work is truly humbling and awesome

[@Cannibal_Actual]

They are a very vulnerable people, I sure hope they can not only protect their homelands but also defend them.

[@DemonetisedZone]

Fantastic educational video without hitting the viewer over the head Never heard of this tribes predicament before nor the sky river drying up due to forest clearing! 👏👏👏👏

[@DarshanBalaji-gy5iz]

Ted-Ed, You inspire me a lot and thanks to your organisation.

[@SamSotheaKaruna1975]

when im bored, i watch ted ed, its just so interesting!

[@noumanukaye3376]

Very informative. Thank you 💐

[@varunvnair92]

Probably one of the best animated Ted Ed video 🙌🙌

[@wadball]

Great message to share! More of these stories please

[@ronkirk5099]

I knew forest transpired water vapor, but I didn't know it was on such a vast scale and has such a huge impact on weather. 'Flying River', what a concept!. It was encouraging to see that in the last election, Brasil turned away from right wing authoritarianism and back toward a more pro-environmental government. Good for Brasil and good for the planet.

[@gustavodutra3633]

In fact, both governments don't care about the Amazon, so much so that 2023 had one of the worst deforestation rates in history. They use "green propaganda" to get elected and win votes of the poor population.

[@Yaviah20]

Thanks for the video, i have heard about indigenous people protecting the forests but not at this extent... definitely visiting the website

[@haris.saputra.]

That animation 😳😳 .. Oh god , it's just beautiful

[@user-nq7br9dd4m]

TED always educates me ❤ Thank you TED.

[@agnieszkaason4506]

29 minutes, I LOVE YOU TED ED

[@aashnachhabra1631]

woooowwwwwww, Upamanyu Bhattacharyya rocksssss❤❤

[@lanchen0]

The animation is just ✨ gorjis ✨

[@EcoPlanetFilms]

Excellent video, thanks for sharing!

[@michaelng1869]

I would listen to this voice anytime anyday .. Sweet and calming hope it ain't ai

[@kittyonmydesk5532]

Now *that's* what I call an atmospheric river! 🏞️

[@ChiDante]

A philosophical recognized conclusion says: that, those who take the best care of it are the rightful owners. The land thrives when it is actually owned as part of ones self. With love. Not possessed like a simple possession

[@CharlotteXMoon]

There's a lot I've learned today and I want to help defend the forest❤

[@user-eq2dx2jp6v]

Thank you so much 👍👍👍❣❣❣❣🌹🌹🌹🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁☕🥮☕🥮

[@fableagain]

Woah, the animation in this video is breathtaking.

[@justwaiting5744]

This was a well-woven story and call-to-action.

[@pmaize647]

In love with this animation

[@catherinefilipowski3506]

Honorable people. Honorable work!!!

[@Tech-gv6qk]

Protect these people at all cost.

[@hemlockxhowever]

I’m tryna get to Skypiea

[@anewart2249]

😂😂😂

[@RomeoNJulietLostTheGame]

😢, save the rain forrest ❤

[@barannyakakaty1654]

Such a beautiful animation

[@jackbelinski2661]

The irony is that one time when I was world building, the idea of a river floating in the air came to me, but I never thought it was actually real

[@lyricsassam]

I loved the animation. So clean and beautiful.

[@debangshumoulik5857]

The animation is so good!

[@hisheartsings2742]

I have always held this notion since my childhood that there is some sort of fresh oceans in the sky.

[@stewartthomas2642]

Love your stuff kick on love it ❤️❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🤍

[@AlesAmazigh]

Beautiful, beautiful animation. ❤️

[@bishnoirk]

Thanks for sharing valuable knowledge

[@DavidBrown-xn2pg]

This is great, so great to hear success stories

[@user-bp4nv3qp4d]

Wonderful animation

[@fortunewrangler8524]

Good work!!

[@doyouguysnothavephones8967]

This video is so beautiful

[@stanmwadime]

What an interesting phenomenon. Flying rivers must be protected.

[@lucius8270]

Damn, how am I this early to a ted video.

[@kimruffin8039]

Powerful content and beautiful voice over

[@giganbombshroom3850]

You know it's cunning when the video intention is to let us be aware about the deforestation in the amazon

[@wanuradhaw]

Interesting video. Nice graphics.

[@rajendrarawal588]

Beautiful animation

[@robertsimon2885]

Nature can be so cool.

[@Vaani9497]

Starting quote, wah

[@tumwinekate3383]

The beauty and order God created is awesome. Shows His ingenuity through nature

[@user-nv5sn3tb4e]

and ironically it is many of those who claim to love Him who are doing the most damage, and in His name, too. brazilian farmers and ranchers often profess to enact genocide on the Native peoples in the Name of God. bitter, bitter irony.

[@ijlayugan4149]

This vibes like Scavengers Reign and I love it

[@emayavarambanudhayasurian5065]

wow.. beautifully animated information..

[@minerliton2481]

this is amazing, ill watch it kater

[@yetitoride3443]

SO COOL!!!!!!

[@united.humans.organization4968]

.... "Blessed are the meek....... Love, peace.

[@Luaponyt]

Insane vid!!❤