Climate change: rising temperatures will lead to more lightning
Scientists say a 'small' increase in global temperatures could lead to significantly more thunder storms
Climate scientists in the US have calculated that rising global temperatures will lead to a 50 per cent increase in the number of lightning strikes hitting the ground over 100 years, the BBC reports.
David Romps, of the University of California, Berkeley, said: "For every two lightning strikes in 2000, there will be three lightning strikes in 2100." But what does that mean for the planet?
Why do rising temperatures mean more lightning?
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
While the exact cause of lightning is still uncertain, scientists know it happens when clouds filled with water and ice rise rapidly. It is heat that causes the clouds to soar - and the Berkeley team have developed a new way of calculating the relationship between available heat energy and storms.
How do they know how many lightning strikes there are now?
The US National Lightning Detector Network detects the electromagnetic pulse every lightning strike emits. The accuracy of the resulting data is "exquisite", says Romps, recording the position and timing of every bolt.
How much more lightning can we expect?
The team say that for every 1C rise in global temperatures, there will be an increase of 12 per cent in the frequency of lightning strikes. Between the years 2000 and 2100, therefore, they expect to see a 50 per cent rise.
How will more lightning affect us?
Half of the wildfires in the US are triggered by lightning strikes - so it is no great stretch to predict a significant rise in those. An increase in wildfires might in turn increase the rate at which the planet is warming.
What other effect might it have?
Every bolt of lightning sparks a chemical reaction which triggers a 'puff' of nitrogen oxide - one of the so-called 'greenhouse gas'. Romps says lightning is the main source of that gas in the upper and middle tropospheres.
What might more nitrogen oxide mean?
More lightning will mean more of the other greenhouse gases, including ozone and methane, as the production of nitrogen oxide indirectly regulates the quantity of those gases in the atmosphere. More greenhouse gases means more rapid global warming.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Kerala: one Indian state, four exhilarating ways
The Week Recommends The southwestern region pretty much has it all, from beachfront, to port metropolis, to verdant mountainside
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
Is a high-yield savings account worth having?
The Explainer They can pay up to 10 times more than a standard savings account
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: April 15, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Gaza hospital blast: What the video evidence shows about who's to blame
Speed Read Nobody wants to take responsibility for the deadly explosion in the courtyard of Gaza's al-Ahli Hospital. Roll the tape.
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Giraffe poo seized after woman wanted to use it to make a necklace
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Helicopter sound arouses crocodiles
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Woman sues Disney over 'injurious wedgie'
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Emotional support alligator turned away from baseball stadium
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Europe's oldest shoes found in Spanish caves
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Artworks stolen by Nazis returned to heirs of cabaret performer
It wasn't all bad Good news stories from the past seven days
By The Week Staff Published