Lightning is hot enough to convert the non-reactive nitrogen (N2) and oxygen (O2) in the atmosphere into highly reactive nitrogen oxides (NOx). These are critical precursors for the formation of ozone and hydroxyl (OH) in the lower atmosphere. Ozone is a biological irritant and greenhouse gas. OH controls the time before removal of many other pollutants and reactive greenhouse gases, including methane. Lightning in turn responds to changing climate, and therefore is a complex but natural two-way coupling between atmospheric composition and climate that, to date, has been largely ignored or underrepresented in atmospheric models. There remains a great deal of uncertainty as to how lightning and its consequences will respond to a warming world.
Some of the topics we explore include:
- What is the present-day distribution of lightning NOx and its variability?
- How does lightning NOx influence composition and climate?
- How does climate change influence lightning frequency and physics?
- How does composition influence lightning frequency and physics?
- What are the signs and magnitudes of feedbacks from lightning on climate change?
To address these questions, we use global modeling informed by satellite data, including lightning flash rates from the Lightning Imaging Sensor and the Geostationary Lightning Mapper and NO2 from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (see Fig. 1).
We are also a host site for the World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN) (see Fig. 2), which provides real-time detection of global lightning flashes.
