Physicists led by University of Pennsylvania professor William Brun have found that lightning contributes to cleaning the planet's atmosphere of smog and other pollutants.
The scientists conducted research and found that lightning produces a large number of nitrogen oxides and other types of oxidants: hydroxyl radical (OH) and hydroperoxyl radical (HO2), which can clean the atmosphere, the journal Science. Experts estimate that lightning is responsible for about 16% of these molecules in the Earth's atmosphere.
The researchers observed lightning using a NASA DC-8 aircraft. Instruments installed on board recorded changes in the composition of the atmosphere during the formation of thunderstorm clouds. Both visible lightning and its faint discharges are the source of clearing elements in the air.
The results of the study will help predict how global warming will affect the frequency of thunderstorm clouds in different parts of the planet.
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