Why is lightning more intense over the oceans?

Asfur, Mustafa; Price, Colin; Silverman, Jacob; Wishkerman, Asher

doi:10.1016/j.jastp.2020.105259

Cited by 18 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“… 26 . It should also be noted, but perhaps not too surprising, that the emission spectra peaks in our experiments 12 coincide with those of field-based observations of natural lightning flashes 27 . However, there is a huge difference in peak current between the laboratory generated sparks and natural lightning and it remains to be shown that the experimental results can be extrapolated to nature.…”

Section: Experimental Design and Measurementssupporting

confidence: 87%

“…In Asfur et al . 12 it was shown that LFI increases by a factor of 1.6 ± 0.3 per 1 mg/L increase in NaCl concentration, which is roughly equivalent to 1PSU (Practical Salinity Unit). The salinity range of surface seawaters is 30–40 PSU 38 and its conductivity in this range at a temperature of 25 °C increases according to the equations of Fofonoff and Millard 30 by ~ 2–3% per 1PSU from 46.2 to 59.7 mS/cm.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…LFI measurements were performed using the same experimental setup described in Asfur et al 12 . In brief, electrical sparks into the seawater below were generated with a Boost Step-up power converter between an electrode suspended above the surface of the water (~ 1 cm) and a submerged electrode (~ 3 cm).…”

Section: Experimental Design and Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In a recent report, Asfur et al . 12 demonstrated experimentally for the first time that the Lightning Flash Intensity (LFI) generated in a laboratory setup is positively correlated with the amount of salts dissolved in the water into which it is discharged. Where, the LFI is the integrated emission spectra measured by an optical sensor in the wavelength range of 150–1050 nm of the gases that are ionized by a laboratory generated electrical spark.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Clearly, the experimental results of Asfur et al . 12 are most likely explained by the higher conductivity of seawater in comparison to soils ( 0 10 3 greater). Thus, other physicochemical properties of natural waters that effect their conductivity, could also influence the LFI.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ocean acidification may be increasing the intensity of lightning over the oceans

Asfur

Silverman

Price

2020

Sci Rep

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The anthropogenic increase in atmospheric CO2 is not only considered to drive global warming, but also ocean acidification. Previous studies have shown that acidification will affect many aspects of biogenic carbon uptake and release in the surface water of the oceans. In this report we present a potential novel impact of acidification on the flash intensity of lightning discharged into the oceans. Our experimental results show that a decrease in ocean pH corresponding to the predicted increase in atmospheric CO2 according to the IPCC RCP 8.5 worst case emission scenario, may increase the intensity of lightning discharged into seawater by approximately 30 ± 7% by the end of the twenty-first century relative to 2000.

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Section: Experimental Design and Measurementssupporting

confidence: 87%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Experimental Design and Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Ocean acidification may be increasing the intensity of lightning over the oceans

Asfur

Silverman

Price

2020

Sci Rep

Self Cite

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Water activated by the atmospheric air streamer‐to‐spark transition discharge over its surface

Zhao

Liu

et al. 2023

Plasma Processes & Polymers

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Here, we report on the optimized design for the needle‐to‐plane electrode geometry to generate the atmospheric air streamer‐to‐spark transition discharge over the surface of the water at the pulsed voltage of ±30 kV. This design contributes to an increase in the electric field at the head of air surface streamers during their propagation, which eventually evolves into a spark over water. The length of streamer‐to‐spark transition discharge is up to 150 mm, which is affected by the conductivity of water, the electrode polarity, and the horizontal distance between the high‐voltage pin electrode and the grounded plane electrode. Water is quickly activated by the streamer‐to‐spark transition discharge, which can be attributed to the dissolution of plasma‐generated species including long‐lived and short‐lived reactive species in the gas phase. Compared to the negative streamer‐to‐spark transition discharge, the positive one is more effective in increasing the biological reactivity of water. Analysis indicates that the positive ions in the positive surface streamers can dissolve in water, which contributes to the formation of reactive species in water, thus an increase in the biological reactivity of water.

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Reactive Oxygen and Nitrogen Species (RONS) Solubility Controlled Activation of Water by Atmospheric Pressure Air Spark Discharge

Zhao,

Liu,

et al. 2024

Plasma Chem Plasma Process

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The activation of water by the atmospheric pressure air plasma is involved in the diffusion of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) in air and water, their gas-phase and liquid-phase reactions, and their dissolution and evaporation. In this study, by generating the air spark discharge over the surface of water, we have evaluated the chemical and biological reactivities of direct-plasma treatment (DPT) and remote-plasma treatment (RPT) plasma-activated water (PAW) at different water temperatures. We have found that DPT-PAW is much more effective in increasing both the chemical and biological reactivities of PAW than RPT-PAW, and decreasing the water temperature from 40C to 6C leads to rapid activation of water. Our analysis shows that when the water temperature varies from 6C to 40C, the activation of water by the air discharge is RONS solubility controlled, and the gas-phase and liquid-phase RONS diffusion and chemical reactions are not the controlling steps during the activation of water. The direct plasma treatment of water at a relatively low temperature contributes to an obvious increase in the RONS solubility, thus a rapid activation of DPT-PAW.

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Why is lightning more intense over the oceans?

Cited by 18 publications

References 26 publications

Ocean acidification may be increasing the intensity of lightning over the oceans

Ocean acidification may be increasing the intensity of lightning over the oceans

Water activated by the atmospheric air streamer‐to‐spark transition discharge over its surface

Reactive Oxygen and Nitrogen Species (RONS) Solubility Controlled Activation of Water by Atmospheric Pressure Air Spark Discharge

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