Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: Is the global pandemic making you wish you could take a quick break from planet Earth? Our next story will help you do just that. Over the past six months, scientists have been flying high over the Pacific Ocean, into the stratosphere to study weather phenomena called atmospheric rivers. These rivers in the sky can deliver huge amounts of rain and snow to the west coast. And they may be getting more intense. NPR's Nathan Rott joined them for a flight. NATHAN ROTT, BYLINE: Confession - I don't always pay attention to pre-flight briefings, you know, the whole insert buckle, tighten seat belt thing. But most flights don't have emergency masks with compressed air... (SOUNDBITE OF AIR BLASTING) ROTT: ...Pressure you'll need, flight coordinator Rich Henning says, because if something goes wrong above 40,000 feet... RICH HENNING: The air gets sucked out of your lungs. ROTT: OK. He's got my full attention. Henning, like just about
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