Scientists in Rapid City and Sao Paolo conducted a study during thunderstorm seasons between 2011 and 2016, gathering data on a new type of lightning.
The results were rather surprising as they have recorded 110 upward flashes originating from tall objects.
Interestingly, they can initiate without any preceding lightning activity – tall objects enhance the electric field around them, which generates conditions for the flash to travel upwards, rather than from clouds to earth, as most people know it.
Another study was done in Japan between 2005 and 2010, where a similar upward movement of electrical charges was recorded traveling from a wind turbine tower.
53 events of this type were recorded – 25 of which were preceded by lightning, which shows that some of these events are linked and one can trigger the other.
Nature wrote an extensive paper on this phenomenon, which can be found here.
Photo by Bhargava Marripati from Pexels
