All articles tagged with #hydroxyl radical
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.
COVID-19 lockdowns sharply reduced nitrogen oxides, shrinking the hydroxyl radical that normally destroys methane and causing a large methane spike in 2020—about 80% of the rise came from a slower methane sink, with the remaining ~20% from increased ground emissions. Wetlands in tropical Africa and Southeast Asia, boosted by La Niña’s wetter conditions, contributed roughly 30% of the global increase during 2020–2022, marking a ‘clean air paradox’ where cleaner urban air reduces methane sinks and intensifies the need for aggressive anthropogenic methane cuts to curb warming.