Jillian Jiampietro
Earth Science
May 23, 2014
Current Event #2
High Speed Solar Winds Increase Lightning Strikes on
Earth
"High-speed
Solar Winds Increase Lightning Strikes on Earth." ScienceDaily.
ScienceDaily, n.d. Web. 23 May 2014.
A new discovery has surfaced that
could help Weather forecasters with predicting the intensity of weather events
weeks before they occur. Researchers have found a link between the increased
thunderstorm activity on Earth and streams of high-energy particles accelerated
by solar wind. Solar winds are constant streams of energy particles, mostly
electrons and protons, which travel within the suns atmosphere at around a
million miles per hour and vary in density, temperature, and speed. This new
evidence suggests that lightning on Earth can be triggered or intensified not
only by cosmic rays from space, but also, by energy particles from the sun.
Research
from the Readings Department of Meteorology was published in the journal, Environmental Research Letters, which
stated that their was a big increase in lightning rates across Europe up to 40
days after the high speed solar winds traveled into the Earth’s atmosphere.
This data was found after research was done in the United Kingdom from 2000 to
2005. What occurred in this experiment was that researchers from the UK Met
Office Lighting Detection System analyzed strikes of lightning that occurred in
this 5 year period within a 500 kilometer restricted area in central England.
The data that was received was then compared to the data from Nasa’s Advanced Composition
Explorer, or ACE, spacecraft, which lies between the Earth and the Sun and
measures solar winds. The results found was that there was an average of 321
strikes of lightning 40 days prior to the solar winds, while 40 days after the
solar winds 422 lightning strikes occurred. The peak of the lightning strikes
occurred within 12 to 18 days after the solar winds hit Earth’s atmosphere.
This article quotes one of the researchers, Dr. Chris Scott, who commented in
the research letter on the results that were recovered. He states, “Our main
result is that we have found evidence that high speed solar winds streams can
increase lightning rates. This may be an actual increase in lightning or an
increase in the magnitude of lightning, lifting it above the detection
threshold of measurement instruments.” Dr. Scott states that cosmic rays, which
are tiny particles that accelerate close to the speed of light by exploding
stars, are not the only thing in space that factors in to the result of
thunderstorms on Earth. The Earth’s magnetic field usually is able to detect
the solar winds, but when the solar stream catches up to the slower solar
stream of the sun, the magnetic field as well as the material increases.
Solar winds may not have much effect on
society itself, but the Solar winds do affect lightning which is a common occurrence
during thunderstorms This new data will help meteorologists detect storms could
play a big factor in discovering bad weather events and warning the people of
the storm much earlier. I believe that the article is important because it is a
big step in helping weather forecasting, as well as teaching us more
information on the effect that space has on Earth.
Great job Jillian! I found it really interesting how scientist's have discovered that the increased thunderstorm activity and the engergy particles in space have a connection and are determined by one another. This article was very well written and I don't see that there is much room for improvement.
ReplyDelete