Flying coast to coast across the U.S. aboard one of the world's largest airships, a team of scientists undertakes a series of exciting experiments shedding light on the causes of wild weather, how life exploits the atmosphere, and the human impact upon the weather. The team begins their voyage with an exploration of clouds. Expedition leader and meteorologist Felicity Aston examines how clouds capture liquid water and tries to weigh a cloud in an ambitious experiment. Andy Torbet, former paratrooper, sets out to measure the forces that keep clouds afloat by parachuting through the turbulent and hazardous air that surrounds a large cumulus cloud. Microbiologist Dr. Chris Van Tulleken examines one of the most radical theories in meteorology today-that some clouds are actually alive, and as a consequence, are more likely to form rain than others. Finally, the team examine why there has been an increase in hurricanes along the Gulf Coast in recent years. Their investigation leads to some surprising results.

Streaming video file encoded with permission for digital streaming by Infobase on May 15, 2015.

Operation Cloud Lab: Episode 1 --(52:41) -- Introduction: Cloud Lab Expedition -- (2:23) -- Aboard Cloud Lab -- (2:06) -- Airship Laboratory and Team -- (2:26) -- Water Content -- (3:10) -- Parachuting Through a Cloud -- (2:23) -- Measuring the Cloud -- (3:57) -- Weighing Clouds -- (1:33) -- Cloud Temperatures -- (3:01) -- Latent Heat of Clouds -- (2:01) -- What Makes It Rain? -- (2:32) -- Droplet Formation -- (3:12) -- Life in the Clouds -- (4:23) -- Bird Migration -- (2:06) -- Migrating Bird Departures -- (3:02) -- Migrations and Cold Fronts -- (2:06) -- Are Humans Affecting the Atmosphere? -- (3:34) -- Dirty Cloud -- (4:19) -- Hurricanes and Pollution -- (3:00) -- Credits: Operation Cloud Lab: Episode 1 -- (0:47).