When lightning strikes soil, it may generate a cylindrical tube of glass known as a fulgurite. The morphology of a fulgurite is ultimately a consequence of the energy of the lightning strike that formed it, and hence fulgurites may be useful in elucidating the energy distribution frequency of cloud-to-ground lightning. Fulgurites from sand mines in Polk County, Florida, USA were collected and a...

Volcanic ash particles can be remelted by the high temperatures induced in volcanic lightning discharges. The molten particles can round under surface tension then quench to produce glass spheres. Melting and rounding timescales for volcanic materials are strongly dependent on heating duration and peak temperature and are shorter for small particles than for large particles. Therefore, the size...

[1] Simultaneous measurements of high-altitude optical emissions and magnetic fields produced by sprite-associated lightning discharges enable a close examination of the link between low-altitude lightning processes and high-altitude sprite processes. We report results of the coordinated analysis of high-speed sprite video and wideband magnetic field measurements recorded simultaneously at Yucc...

Four classes of models of the lightning return stroke are reviewed. These four classes are: 1) the gas dynamic models; 2) the electromagnetic models; 3) the distributed-circuit models; and 4) the “engineering” models. Validation of the reviewed models is discussed. For the gas dynamic models, validation is based on observations of the optical power and spectral output from natural lightning. Th...

To provide guidance to clinicians about best practices, the Wilderness Medical Society convened an expert panel to develop evidence-based guidelines for the treatment and prevention of lightning injuries. These guidelines include a review of the epidemiology of lightning strikes and recommendations for the prevention of lightning strikes, along with treatment recommendations organized by organ ...

Lightning protection for fighter aircraft is presently based on the requirements of MIL-B-5087 and refined by the recently issued MIL-STD-1757. These documents specify current and energy levels sufficient to cover greater than 99 percent of the cloud-to-ground strikes. These levels are applied to aircraft according to lightning strike zones established by attach point ftnalysis and tes*. .the a...

[1] X-ray and electric field measurements were made during five nearby negative natural lightning strikes in north central Florida during the summer of 2004. The observed X-ray emission typically was detected 1 ms before the first return stroke, during the stepped-leader phase, and had energies extending up to a few hundred keV. The X rays were produced in discrete, intense bursts emitted in co...

Forest lightning fire is a recurrent and serious problem in the Daxinganling Mountains of northeastern China. Information on the spatial distribution of fire danger is needed to improve local fire prevention actions. The Maxent (Maximun Entropy Models), which is prevalent in modeling habitat distribution, was used to predict the possibility of lightning fire occurrence in a 1 × 1 km grid based ...

[1] An analysis of thunderstorm environment, structure, and evolution associated with six gigantic jets (five negative polarity, one positive) was conducted. Three of these gigantic jets were observed within detection range of very high frequency lightning mapping networks. All six were within range of operational radars and two-dimensional lightning network coverage: five within the National L...