Sunday, October 17, 2010

CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate change brings numerous questions with it. What will happen when the Earth is warmer? How will the ecosystem change if there is rapid warming? If the ecosystem changes, how will agriculture be impacted? If agriculture is impacted, what will happen the supply of food? How will climate change ultimately change human society?

"Frequent Questions." US Environmental Protection Agency, 19 Aug. 2010. Web. 17 Oct. 2010.
 
Rising global temperatures is a factor of climate change. The current scientific models availiable predict an increase of "3 degrees Celsius (5.4 degrees Fahrenheit) by 2100". With increased temperatures, there is drawbacks. Ice in the polar regions of the world will melt faster, and thus increasing the sea level. With increased sea level, many islands and low-lying regions of the world will flood. Hurricanes will also be stronger due to the would be increase of the sea temperature.
 
Ellis, Jessica. "What Are Some Predictions for Future Climate Change?" Wisegeek.com. 9 Sept. 2010. Web. 17 Oct. 2010.
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LIGHTNING

Lightning strikes all over the world, very numerously in fact. Satellite data suggests there are "3 million lightning flashes worldwide per day". It can happen anywhere there is a storm cloud brewing.(4)









Storm clouds are generally cumulonimbus clouds. These are massive, towering clouds often reaching high in the atmosphere. They usually form when a cold front meets a warm front. The air also has to be moist enough for the clouds to form. Inside the clouds there are strong updrafts. This is the start of how lightning is made. (3)






The exact science how lightning is made is a mystery. There a few theories, but perhaps the most popular one involves ice particles. When a cumulonimbus cloud reaches a precipitation capacity, water is carried up the cloud by the updrafts. Here the water collides with ice particles in the upper portions of the cloud. These collisions supposedly create a charge, which the negative portion going towards the bottom of the cloud and the positive towards the top. The difference in charge becomes too great, and thus, lightning is born. (1)








To summarize, for lightning to exist, there must be a cumulonimbus cloud. Inside the water must collide with enough ice particles to make a great enough charge. If a cumulonimbus cloud produces lightning, then it is classified as a "thunderstorm". (3)














On a side note, lightning ALWAYS exists with thunder. (1)





Technology does exist that detects lightning, but it is hard to predict lightning, for it is random. The detected lighting is almost always CG (cloud-to-ground) Lightning detectors have been in place in the US since the 70s. These antennae detectors are hundreds of kilometers apart and detect the radio-frequency pulses that lightning gives off. The location is where the vectors intersect. Since 1994, this system is one combined network run by Global Atmospherics Inc. These instruments provide lightning strike indicators to provide early storm intelligence and give people an early heads up. (4)











It is estimated that $4-5 billion damages occur each year because of lightning. Money spent to safeguard sensitive equipment from lightning damages is also enormous. Between the years 1979-2008, lightning killed an average of 58 people each year. Lightning can travel through a power line to an electrical appliance, and anyone using that appliance. It can also travel through plumbing pipes and water to a person in contact with either of those, examples primarily being shower and bath. One out of 5 lightning strike victims die, and 70% of the lucky survivors suffer serious long-term after effects. (4)








Lightning also affects the environment around us greatly. Forest fires are generally caused by lightning strikes to a dense group of trees. Power outages can be traced back to lightning hitting a power grid. However, not all the affects of lightning are negative. Lightning maintains the Earth's electricial balance. It returns the negative charges back to the Earth. Lightning also produces o-zone, which is necessary for the Earth's protection against the sun's harmful UV rays. (1)











1) "About Lightning..." http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/. 8 Feb. 2010. Web. 28 Oct. 2010



2) Bellante, Anthony. "How Lightning Is Formed." http://www.helium.com/. Web. 28 Oct. 2010





3) "Cumulonimbus Clouds." University of Illinois. http://www.atmos.uiuc.edu/. 7 Aug. 2010. Web. 28 Oct. 2010





4) Henson, Bob. "Lightning:FAQ." http://www.ucar.edu/ 5 Apr. 2000. Web. 28 Oct. 2010











http://www.maniacworld.com/lightning-strike-in-tree.html



http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/faq/faq_ltg.php/



http://www.helium.com/items/1522307-how-lightning-is-formed



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLJ6oqToKrc&feature=related