American scientists from James Madison University have discovered a link between air pollution and the intensity of summer storms. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine Atmospheric Research (AtmRes).
Over the course of the three-year project, the authors examined nearly 200,000 storms in the Washington, D.C. area and more than 300,000 in Kansas.
Using lightning data from the National Lightning Detection Network and information from air pollution control stations, researchers determined that increased atmospheric aerosol concentrations in highly unstable environments lead to more lightning strikes.
According to scientists, air pollutants enter clouds via upward air currents, where the particles separate electrical charges, increasing the number of lightning strikes.
The researchers conducted a similar study in Bangkok, a metropolis in the tropics with high air pollution levels. The analysis showed a similar picture when adjusted for hotter, wetter conditions.
Earlier scientists to create New air pollutant dangerous to human life.
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Source: Gazeta
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