UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – When thunderstorms rumble overhead, weak electrical discharges — known as corona — can happen on tree leaves. A brand new examine discovered coronas create giant quantities of atmospheric chemical compounds that might influence air high quality round forests, in line with a crew of Penn State scientists.
“Whereas little is thought about how widespread these discharges are, we estimate that coronas generated on timber underneath thunderstorms might have substantial impacts on the encircling air,” stated Jena Jenkins, a postdoctoral scholar within the Division of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science at Penn State.
Situations throughout thunderstorms that produce lightning additionally create electrical fields between clouds and the bottom. Tall, sharply pointed objects, like leaves excessive in timber, improve the electrical subject even additional, and may result in electrical breakdowns — or coronas, the scientists stated.
Full story will be discovered on Penn State Information
