The Surprising Way Lightning Helps Clean Earth’s Atmosphere

Amaze Lab

A look back at data taken from a storm-chasing plane back in 2012 showed scientists had it wrong about lightning. “Through history, people were only interested in lightning bolts because of what they could do on the ground,” explained meteorologist William Brune.

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00:00There's no shortage of superpowers at Mother Nature's disposal, but scientists have added

00:09a new one to the list in a shocking new discovery. A look back at readings taken from a storm-chasing

00:18plane back in 2012 has revealed the remarkable air-cleaning properties of lightning, according

00:24to meteorologists at Penn State. New research published in Science and the Journal of Geophysical

00:30Research, Atmospheres, suggests lightning plays a key role in zapping away greenhouse gases,

00:37much more so than previously thought. According to research, lightning bolts produce vast amounts

00:44of oxidants that trap and break down pollutants like carbon monoxide and methane. The measurements

00:50were taken by a NASA plane observing the top anvil portion of storm clouds in Colorado and Oklahoma.

00:58Scientists originally dismissed the high oxidant levels detected as an instrument glitch. The new

01:04findings could change how atmospheric modeling is conducted. More research is needed due to the

01:10small sample size, but the researchers believe lightning storms could account for 2 to 16 percent

01:16of global atmospheric oxidation. And with lightning strikes on the rise due to climate change,

01:22it's worth taking another look.

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