11/7/2023 0 Comments Lightning map seattleA global explanation of superbolt hotspots remained elusive. Past studies have explored whether superbolt strength could be affected by sea spray, shipping lane emissions, ocean salinity or even desert dust, but those studies were limited to regional bodies of water and could explain at most only part of the regional distribution of superbolts. Above the freezing line, in the upper reaches of the cloud, electrification takes place and generates the lightning’s “charging zone.” Efraim wondered whether changes in freezing line altitude, and subsequently charging zone height, could influence a storm’s ability to form superbolts. But for lightning to form, a cloud must straddle the line where the air temperature reaches 0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit). Storm clouds often reach 12 to 18 kilometers (7.5 to 11 miles) in height, spanning a wide range of temperatures. The research was published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, AGU’s journal dedicated to advancing the understanding of Earth’s atmosphere and its interaction with other components of the Earth system. The new study provides the first explanation for the formation and distribution of superbolts over land and sea worldwide. "We wanted to know what makes these powerful superbolts more likely to form in some places as opposed to others," Efraim said. “Superbolts, even though they’re only a very, very tiny percentage of all lightning, they’re a magnificent phenomenon,” said Avichay Efraim, a physicist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and lead author of this study.Ī 2019 report found that superbolts tend to cluster over the Northeast Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea and the Altiplano in Peru and Bolivia, which is one of the tallest plateaus on Earth. While the average lightning strike contains around 300 million volts, superbolts are 1,000 times stronger and can cause major damage to infrastructure and ships, the authors say. Superbolts make up less than 1% of total lightning, but when they do strike, they pack a powerful punch. These conditions are responsible for superbolt “hotspots” above some oceans and tall mountains. WASHINGTON - Superbolts are more likely to strike the closer a storm cloud’s electrical charging zone is to the land or ocean’s surface, a new study finds. Liza Lester, +1 (202) 777-7494, (UTC-4 hours)Īvichay Efraim, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, (UTC+3 hours) When a storm's charging zone sits close to the Earth's surface, the resulting “superbolts” can be 1,000 times stronger than regular lightning. Scientists figured out what causes Earth’s strongest lightning ![]() This press release and accompanying multimedia are available online at: view moreĬredit: Efraim et al (2023), adapted from Holzworth et al. Superbolt strikes tend to cluster in regoins where storms' electrical charging zones are closest to the Earth's surface, according to a new study in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres. The three regions in polygons have the highest concentration of super-charged lightning making them superbolt hotspots. It also caused an early closure of the Washington State Fair in Puyallup.Global distribution of all superbolts from 2010-2018, with red points indicating the strongest lightning strokes. The storm also delayed the football game between University of Washington and UC Berkeley at Husky Stadium. Light travels at a constant 186,000 miles/second, which means that we see the flash immediately as it happens,” NASA said.Īt its peak, the lightning storm caused power outages to over 4,500 customers, according to Seattle City Light. “When lightning strikes, a bright flash of light is generated. Lightning and thunder happen at the same time but since light travels faster than sound, the flash of lightning is seen sooner than thunder is heard. The intense heat of the lightning generates a sound called thunder that is transmitted through the air at the speed of sound, it added. Lightning occurs when ice particles within a cloud interact with each other through collision, causing the particles to fracture and break apart, according to NASA. Of those, 200 were recorded in the Seattle metro area from 8 p.m. ![]() The 1,250 lightning strikes were between 6 p.m. ![]() About 1,250 lightning strikes were recorded in western Washington state during a storm that caused widespread power outages Saturday night, the National Weather Service said.Ī strong line of thunderstorms developed over western Washington, bringing frequent lightning, heavy rains, flooding and hail to the Puget Sound region, according to the National Weather Service’s office in Seattle.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |