The wind and the rain. The thunder and the lightning. They show that we have an active atmosphere and thatSA国际影视传媒檚 a good thing because without it we wouldnSA国际影视传媒檛 be alive.
When I was in high school, I was in Boy Scouts, and we went camping one time. Each patrol had their own wall tent. We had just set up our tent in a wooded area when a splattering of rain came from a fast-approaching summer storm. So, we all went inside for shelter. I was standing near the door while everyone else was sitting or lying on the ground.
Suddenly, just outside, there was an incredible flash and a tremendous bang. I remember seeing it and the next thing I remember was being on the ground on my hands and knees, wondering how I had gotten there. We were all a little shaken up by a far too close lightning strike. One of the fellows said I had just sort of collapsed. I probably did but I had absolutely no memory of it, which I found a little disturbing. One of the fellows from another tent ran over to check on us because, from their point of view, it looked like our tent had been hit. Luckily, that wasnSA国际影视传媒檛 the case, but we suspect it was a tall tree maybe 20 or 30 feet behind us. Fortunately, we hadnSA国际影视传媒檛 been outside or taken shelter under that tree, otherwise we might have been hit.
When I got back to town, I did a little research on lightning because I thought I should know more about it. In a summer storm when the big thunderhead clouds form, the air is rather turbulent. Positive electrons tend to go to the top of the cloud while negative ones go to the bottom. Also, as the cloud moves across the land, a whole bunch of positive electrons go across the land with it.
Sometimes you will hear a big peal of thunder roll across the sky virtually from horizon to horizon SA国际影视传媒� that is a lightning bolt that goes through the clouds and never actually hits the ground. As the charges get bigger, sometimes the ground electrons gain strength and rush up a tree or a hill and go into the sky, where they are met by a mass of negative electrons coming down. When they meet, there is a big flash of lightning and a tremendous blast of noise.
If you happen to be near the spot where the electrons start going up, you may feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. This isnSA国际影视传媒檛 just an expression, it is the real thing. This is a buildup of static electricity and can make you feel tingly all over. When I read this, I remember feeling a little tingly when I was standing in the tent. So, if you are out during a thunderstorm and your hair begins to stand up, time to take care because a lightning strike may be about to happen.
Lightning is an amazing thing and some places on this planet have a lot of thunder and lightning and they get it almost every day. There is so much electricity out there in the air, in the clouds, moving along the surface that it is a little surprising humans donSA国际影视传媒檛 tap into it more. Not only is it free for the taking, but it is also about as green and carbon neutral as you can get.
We still have a lot to learn about this planet of ours. They have discovered recently that above a storm cloud, lightning also goes up. These are called sprites and can go 96 km (60 miles) up and create a transient luminous event. Lightning helps produce ozone, which has a smell, and we need ozone to protect us from solar radiation. It also splits nitrogen, which becomes a fertilizer for plants.
So, the planet needs thunder and lightning. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 all a part of our natural world and it certainly has its advantages and its risk.
