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Lightning declines over shipping lanes following regulation of sulfur emissions
An unplanned experiment takes scientists closer to solving a long-standing mystery: To what extent, if any, have human-created emissions influenced thunderstorms?
Shipping lanes (top image) and lightning strikes (bottom) near the Port of Singapore.Chris WrightThat unplanned experiment demonstrates how thunderstorms, which can be 10 miles tall, are sensitive to the emission of particles that are smaller than a grain of sand. With engines that are often three stories tall and burn viscous fuel oil, ships traveling into and out of ports emit copious quantities of soot and sulfur particles. We hope that by understanding the effects of aerosol particles on lightning, thunderstorm precipitation and cloud development, we can better predict how the Earth’s climate will respond as human emissions continue to fluctuate.
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