Coming Soon Lightning-palooza!

In this short video it says that lightnning strikes are due to increase by 50% by the end of the century. They are saying that water vapor is basically "lightning fuel" and that as the environment warms up, there will be increased water vapor in the atmosphere due to evaporation.

Here's the video:

screen.yahoo.com...

What says ATS?

screen.yahoo.com...

tried to embed video. sorry.........

originally posted by: lostbook
In this short video it says that lightnning strikes are due to increase by 50% by the end of the century. They are saying that water vapor is basically "lightning fuel" and that as the environment warms up, there will be increased water vapor in the atmosphere due to evaporation.

Here's the video:

screen.yahoo.com...

What says ATS?

screen.yahoo.com...

I don't know about anyone else, but I LOVE lightning storms so I say bring 'em on! I will be on my back porch every night watching them with my wife....that was one of our first dates....we storm watched from a great vantage point in Atlanta.....massive lightning storm.

a reply to: lostbook

Got another source:

Today’s climate models predict a 50 percent increase in lightning strikes across the United States during this century as a result of warming temperatures associated with climate change.

source: newscenter.berkeley.edu...

This depends on the accuracy of the climate model, of course.

a reply to: lostbook

If it's true that the Earth is Warming up I would expect more lightning as well. Don't see much lightning in winter.

I love thunderstorms..

If you like lightning then check this site out, It's a "real time" Lightening map of the world.

It has about 4 seconds delay but is awsome if your in a storm and is far better than counting the seconds between the flash and the bang.

Lightning map

a reply to: nonspecific

Thanks for the link mate! This is cool.

originally posted by: swanne
a reply to: nonspecific

Thanks for the link mate! This is cool.

You wait until your actually in a storm, I love watching with the kids.

a reply to: lostbook

Its not just water vapour that one needs to think about when considering the potential for lightning producing clouds to form in any given scenario. Water vapour is only one material component. You also need impurities, tiny specks of this or that mineral or compound. As I am sure you are aware, lightning is produced when static charges manifest in such a way as to create a situation where negative and positive ions are separated, until such time as things reach a head, and one of these two becomes dominant enough to seek by natural attraction, the company of its counterparts, shall we say.

However, before that charge is built up, two things need to be present. The first is plenty of water vapour, and the second is impurities in that cloud, particulates around which water ice can form. The process of water turning to ice, is much easier when impurities are present, because those impurities create nucleation points, around which ice crystals form. Pure water alone is actually pretty resistant to becoming ice all on its own. In fact, if you were to put a bottle of purified water in a freezer for two hours, and then carefully remove it, you would see that in fact the water had not turned to ice. That is, until you slam the bottle down on a surface. It is impurities, and sudden impact forces, which create these nucleation points with the greatest effect!

It is only when solid material, be it water ice with its attendant impurities, or indeed any significant volume of solid material, is forced to collide and buffet its way around other particles capable of assembling a static charge by friction, that lightning is formed. You do not strictly need water ice at all to produce lightning clouds. As some of you will be aware, the same thing happens if you just have a big cloud over a volcano! The particles in the ash cloud, given the right circumstances, will create friction produced static charges just as readily, and depending on what the composition of the ash cloud is, sometimes more readily!

Now, I am not saying that the video is wrong at all, but I am suggesting that the issue here is not a mere increase in water vapour, but an increase in the presence of all the ingredients which lead to lightning.

Well the increases in pollution will certainly fill the bill for particulates.....
On that basis I wonder how China makes out in comparison with other countries?