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Lightning, the Science

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Lightning

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering ((LNEE,volume 780))

Abstract

Lightning can be defined as a transient, high-current (typically tens of kiloamperes) electric discharge in air whose length is measured in kilometers. As for any discharge in air, lightning channel is composed of ionized gas, that is, of plasma, whose peak temperature is typically 30,000 K, about five times higher than the temperature of the surface of the Sun. Lightning was present on Earth long before human life evolved and it may even have played a crucial role in the evolution of life on our planet. The global lightning flash rate is some tens to a hundred per second or so. Each year, some 25 million cloud-to-ground lightning discharges occur in the United States, and this number is expected to increase by about 50% due to global warming over the twenty-first century. Lightning initiates many forest fires, and over 30% of all electric power line failures are lightning related. Each commercial aircraft is struck by lightning on average once a year. A lightning strike to an unprotected object or system can be catastrophic. In this chapter, an overview of thunderclouds and their charge structure is given, basic lightning terminology is introduced, and different types of lightning (including the so-called rocket-triggered lightning) are described. For the most common negative cloud-to-ground lightning, main lightning processes are identified and the existing hypotheses of lightning initiation in thunderclouds are reviewed. Additionally, current and electromagnetic field signatures of lightning are characterized and the techniques to measure lightning electric and magnetic fields are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA

    Vladimir A. Rakov

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  1. Vladimir A. Rakov
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Correspondence to Vladimir A. Rakov .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Electrical and Information Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Chandima Gomes

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Rakov, V.A. (2021). Lightning, the Science. In: Gomes, C. (eds) Lightning. Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering, vol 780. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-3440-6_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-3440-6_1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-16-3439-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-16-3440-6

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