Three-year study suggests air pollution increases thunderstorm danger

-



Air pollution is increasing the severity of summertime thunderstorms, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at James Madison University and published in the journal Atmospheric Research.


JMU geography professor Mace Bentley, the lead author of the study, says, "Pollution acts as cloud nuclei. It gets brought into the cloud through the updraft; the updraft and downdraft then separate the pollution particles, which divides the electrical charges in the cloud and leads to more lightning production."


The three-year study examined nearly 200,000 thunderstorms in the Washington, D.C., area and more than 300,000 in the Kansas City area.

Using 12 years of lightning data from the National Lightning Detection Network and data from hundreds of air pollution stations in the two cities, the researchers were able to determine that in environments with high instability, adding more pollution increases cloud-to-ground lightning strikes, Bentley said.

Bentley is doing similar research on Bangkok, a megacity with more pollution than Washington, D.C., and Kansas City and located in a hot, tropical climate. His results so far are similar, albeit with lightning rates even higher in those storms.

"It looks like no matter where you go in the world, urban pollution is capable of enhancing thunderstorms and lightning," he said.

#airpollution #thunderstorms #climatechange #environmentalimpact #publichealth #stormrisks #pollutioneffects #climaterisks #airquality #weatherhazards

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

UN Calls for Urgent Action on Rising Sea Levels

-
Image
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited Tonga to highlight a serious global issue—rising sea levels. He spoke at the Pacific Islands Forum, emphasizing how quickly sea levels are increasing and the dangers this poses, especially to low-lying nations like Tonga. Understanding Rising Sea Levels Rising sea levels mean that the ocean water is getting higher over time. This is happening faster than ever before, mainly because of climate change. The Pacific region, where Tonga is located, is seeing some of the fastest rises in sea levels, with some places experiencing rates more than twice the global average. The two main reasons for this are: Warmer Oceans: As the ocean water gets warmer, it expands and takes up more space. Melting Ice: Glaciers and ice sheets in places like Antarctica and Greenland are melting, adding more water to the oceans. How Does This Affect Coastal Communities? Rising sea levels have several harmful effects on communities living near the coast, including: Mor
Read more

Breakthrough Study in Catalysis Research Leads Way to a Greener Future

-
Image
Catalysts are the unsung heroes of modern chemistry, powering everything from the creation of life-saving pharmaceuticals to the production of fuels. A team of researchers at Stony Brook University discovered a breakthrough that opens new avenues for designing highly efficient and sustainable catalysts. For the first time, they have been able to directly observe tiny islands of oxidized metals on the surface of nanoparticles, the workhorses that drive countless chemical reactions essential to modern life. “In the field of catalysis, it is the equivalent of finding a needle in a haystack,” said Prahlad Routh, a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Materials Sciences and Chemical Engineering and first author of the study recently published in Nature Communications. The corresponding author of the article is Anatoly Frenkel, a professor in the Department of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering at Stony Brook, who also holds a joint appointment at Brookhaven National
Read more