All articles tagged with #atmospheric electricity
Field observations in North Carolina recorded 859 corona events on a sweetgum and 93 on a loblolly pine during a thunderstorm, marking the first natural confirmation of corona discharges in trees. Using a UV-sensitive Corona Observing Telescope System, researchers linked leaf-tip discharges to hydroxyl production and potential atmospheric cleansing, while noting questions about tree health and ecological impacts.
Scientists captured the first field evidence of coronae—ultraviolet glows at leaf tips—generated by charge buildup as storms pass over trees. In lab simulations and storm-intercept observations along the US East Coast, researchers logged 41 bursts lasting 0.1–3 seconds, emitting about 100 billion photons per frame at ~260 nm, across species including sweetgum, loblolly pine, maple, and spruce, suggesting a real, widespread electrical glow with potential implications for forest chemistry and how thunderstorms electrify in a warming climate.