ATLANTA,None — Georgia Tech researchers are working to unlock the secrets of lightning. For all the advancements in weather forecasting, lightning still remains somewhat of a mystery.
Ga. Tech Researchers On How Lightning Forms
Hundreds of lightning strikes can hit in just minutes during a spring storm in metro Atlanta. Georgia led the nation in the number of lightning deaths last year.
"For every discovery about lightning there is also an exception," said former Georgia Tech Research Institute director Gene Greneker.
There are many forms of lightning. There is intracloud, cloud-to-cloud and cloud-to-ground. There are negative charge bolts that originate at the bottom of a cloud and are fairly powerful. Postive charge bolts come from the top of a cloud and cause most of the lightning fires we see in Metro Atlanta. A positive charge bolt can be more than 10 times more powerful than a negative.
Researchers at Georgia Tech's Severe Storm Research Center are studying lightning's connection to tornadoes.
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"Some of the research we've done has looked at flash rates. How they correspond to tornado genesis and tornado touchdown," said center director John Trostel.
Right now, the research is suggesting lightning increases before a tornado touches down and decreases when the twister hits the ground. The findings could lead to better tornado warnings one day.
The Severe Storm Research Center team also is working to create a local lightning detection network. It would be only the third of its kind in the country, and use sensors to map lightning strikes all over North Georgia.
"It's both useful for storm studies as well as to determine what areas would be more susceptible for the cloud-to-ground stroke," said Trostel. "Often you'll see activity in the cloud that happens before you get that first cloud-to-ground stroke."
The research also could reveal more about when lightning generally starts and stops during a storm.
Another study under way is looking at the origins of lightning. Greneker is trying to determine if it starts in outer space. He said there isn't enough electricity in a cloud to make lightning jump 30,000 feet to the ground on its own. That's where cosmic rays come into play.
"Not the rays themselves, but the secondary particles that break loose in the atmosphere," said Greneker.
His theory is that those particles cause a chain reaction when they hit gases in the atmosphere and form other particles. It's those particles that could put an electric charge into the air that can go from area to area in a cloud and cause lightning.
Georgia Tech researchers also are working with electric companies to help keep the lights on during storms. A huge lightning simulator is in the National Electric Energy Testing Research and Applications Center, known as NEETRAC.
"We test these products to industry standards to make sure they're reliable, they're up to par and they meet standards, so that the electric system will keep the lights on for people." said senior researcher Ray Hill.
The simulator is two-stories high and can generate up to 2 million volts of electricity. That's about half as powerful as the average negative lightning strike that hits North Georgia.
WSBTV
