00:00In some regions of the Pacific Ocean, ships sink very easily, which is why it is feared by many
00:07sailors. Although there are many routes in that area, there are some that few dare to risk because
00:13crossing them can mean facing extremely dangerous forces of nature. If you need to travel from Asia
00:20to America by ship, the most obvious route would be the shortest and quickest, that is, a nearly
00:26straight line under the North Pacific Ocean. But instead, it might be better to avoid crossing
00:32this place and opt for longer and more expensive, but much safer routes. There is not one, but several
00:41reasons. The Pacific is home to some of the most dangerous waters in the world. When we open a world
00:47map, we usually see that the Pacific Ocean is kinda divided, which prevents us from realizing how big
00:54it is. But in reality, this giant covers almost a third of Earth's surface. It's about 10 times larger
01:02than the smallest ocean in the world, the Arctic Ocean. In other words, when crossing it, the chances
01:08of being cut off from any landmass are very high. And in cases of emergencies, mechanical failures,
01:16or even storms, help might take days or even weeks to arrive. This significantly increases the risk of
01:24serious accidents, the possibility of cargo loss, and, in more serious cases, something even worse.
01:33Now, think about it. A ship journey from Santos, Brazil, to Cape Town, South Africa, covers a little more
01:39than 3,400 miles. To get from Kalao, Peru, to Shanghai, China, you need to travel around 10,000 miles.
01:49Another major problem that prevents sailors from crossing the Pacific is storm systems,
01:54whose name already indicates what they contain. Unpredictable, and therefore, dangerous storms.
02:02In addition, near the equator, there is a chain of winds called trade winds that directly influence
02:07the climate in the tropical region, and occasionally cause rain. Trade winds are strong and constant
02:14winds that act like a whirlwind that rotates without stopping. And although they are extremely
02:20important for nature, as they spread moisture through forests and even influence the formation
02:25of deserts, they pose a problem. Their intensity changes depending on the season. In winter, for example,
02:33they can be much stronger. And since these winds are responsible for moving the ocean waters,
02:39they also create strong sea currents that could make the journey much more dangerous.
02:45In 2015, researchers came across a series of extremely strong winter trade winds that caused a surge of
02:53short but intense waves in the Pacific Ocean. They observed that those waves began to hit the ship
03:00with constant force, as if they were repeatedly punching it. As a result, the hull structure was
03:07completely twisted and deformed. And in the end, they confirmed what they had already known.
03:13Those waves, caused by winter trade winds, could be a real threat to vessels.
03:19And by the way, do you remember that help in the middle of the Pacific can take a considerable
03:24amount of time to arrive? So, now there is much more than one reason behind the hostility of the
03:32winds. Such a large ocean doesn't have many geographical barriers, such as mountains or large
03:39islands. It means that there are no land structures around it that could hold back or slow down the winds
03:45and currents. So, the trade winds and ocean currents have complete freedom to gain strength and speed.
03:53This explains why the Pacific is the scene of powerful storms and giant waves.
04:00This is different, for example, from the North Atlantic, where North America, Europe and Africa help to
04:06contain and redirect the atmospheric and maritime systems.
04:10It is now very common for scientists to see the bottom of the Pacific Ocean as a giant jigsaw puzzle
04:17because it's literally full of moving pieces. It's home to the largest number of tectonic plates
04:24on the planet. And one of them, the Pacific Plate, is the largest maritime plate that science has
04:30ever identified. This particularity makes the region extremely unstable to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
04:40Even though the ocean may seem calm at first glance due to its geology, things can change very quickly.
04:47This makes it unpredictable and treacherous. For example, in 2022, the cargo ship 1 Apis was crossing the
04:55ocean, 1,600 miles northwest of Hawaii, when it was caught in a torrential storm. As a result,
05:03more than 1,800 containers were damaged, falling to the bottom of the sea. Hundreds more collapsed on
05:10the deck, turning into a real-life steel domino due to the force of the wind. The captain managed to
05:17steer the ship to Japan. The journey lasted about a week, and it was only when they got there that
05:23they understood the extent of the loss. But it wasn't just the one Apis. The following year,
05:30the ship Maersk Essen lost about 750 containers, while the Maersk Eindhoven lost more than 260.
05:38In both cases, the routes were bound for Asia. These three alone have already accounted for much more than
05:45the global annual average of containers lost at sea, which is about 1,382 per year. And the most curious
05:54thing is that these events happened in winter. Speaking of winter, it was in the winter of 2020
06:02that the Pacific made history. Scientists recorded a 58-foot-high wave in the ocean, which is equivalent
06:09to the height of a five- or even six-story building. In general, a wave is considered
06:16giant or extreme when it's more than twice the height of the others around it. This one, however,
06:22was almost three times bigger than the rest. Now, it's important to remember that despite being rare
06:30and scary, these waves are not a tsunami, as they're caused by wind. Tsunamis, on the other hand,
06:37usually occur after underwater earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. Another big monster of the
06:44Pacific are typhoons, and the 2024 typhoon season confirmed this. One of the highlights was Hurricane
06:52Christie. It did not touch the crust, meaning it did not cause direct damage, but we cannot underestimate it.
07:00Christie reached Category 5 on the Saphir-Simpson scale, which is the maximum level. A hurricane of
07:07this degree is considered catastrophic, so it's no wonder that it was powerful enough to generate
07:13huge waves and extremely dangerous rip currents. In addition to this, there was also Super Typhoon
07:20Yagi, which hit the Asian continent with such force that it gained the reputation of the most powerful
07:26in the last 70 years. When it arrived in Vietnam, it caused around 1.6 billion US dollars in damage,
07:35destroyed infrastructure in several cities, and left a trail of victims wherever it went.
07:42As if that weren't enough, the Pacific is also home to one of the most unstable regions on the planet,
07:48the famous Pacific Ring of Fire. It's a huge, crack-shaped area that's home to intense volcanic
07:56and seismic activity. It's the most tectonically active place in the world, as the plates of the
08:01Earth's crust are constantly moving there. They move apart and collide or grind against each other,
08:08which causes the region to experience earthquakes and volcanic eruptions all the time.
08:14Seismographs record some type of tremor there every five minutes. This dangerous region is
08:20responsible for about 90% of the planet's earthquakes. So, 9 out of 10 tremors occur within this ring,
08:29which stretches across the northern Pacific. And the worst part is that it doesn't just affect North
08:35America or Asia. In 2023, tremors linked to the Ring of Fire were felt in several Latin American countries,
08:43such as Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, and Peru. There was a trail of destruction and the lives of around 15
08:51people were lost. There's no shortage of reasons for ships to avoid the shortest route across the
08:57Pacific and opt for longer routes. As the popular saying goes, prevention is better than cure.
09:05That's it for today. So, hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it
09:10with your friends. Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!
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