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. 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. These condi
Research reveals that superbolts, extremely powerful lightning strikes, are more likely when storm clouds’ charging zones are near land or water surfaces. This finding sheds light on why certain regions experience more superbolts and could help anticipate climate change effects on these phenomena.
Superbolts make up less than 1% of total lightning, but when they do strike, they pack a powerful punch. While the average lightning strike contains around, superbolts are 1,000 times stronger and can cause major damage to infrastructure and ships, the authors say. Global distribution of all superbolts from 2010-2018, with red points indicating the strongest lightning strokes. The three regions in polygons have the highest concentration of super-charged lightning making them superbolt hotspots. 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. Credit: Efraim et al , adapted from Holzworth et al.
The three regions that experience the most superbolts — the Northeast Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Altiplano — all have one thing in common: short gaps between lightning charging zones and surfaces.
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