Storm activity and electrical characteristics lightning

Most characteristics of lightning are intelligent estimates of typical values, Since ancient times, man has worshipped the elements and gave them names. Many Peoples were gods-Thunderbolts, the celestial chariot, Spears and many legends and myths associated with the phenomenon of lightning. Although electrical phenomenon, people tried to explain before our era, but only after the opening of Coulomb’s law is a scientific study of electrical discharges. One example of the enormous power of electric discharge is lightning. Lightning is a very powerful spark discharge of a natural origin. Usually it is accompanied by a powerful sound wave and a Flash of bright light.

Lightning occurs in the thunderstorm clouds. Its formation is associated with microscopic processes. From a scientific point of view, the reason the lightning is the impact ionization, which occurs during collisions of free electrons with atoms and molecules. As well as the electrical field strength clouds is very great, the collision of electrons and atoms, there is a lot of fast electrons forming an electrical discharge. Among all types of discharges, the most dangerous for human-level between the Earth and the cloud, it was called the land of lightning.

Ground-based lightning have several stages. The first step is the formation of a narrow channel of ionized gas glowing (tape drive) of an avalanche of electrons. After which the tape drives are merged to form conductive channel is the leader of the lightning. The leader of the movement of the Earth occurs in stages, with periodic delays and fades. When reaching a certain tension leader to meet him with of land goes back to the tape drive. When they meet, begins the final phase-reverse discharge. The process can be repeated many times, so such lightning was called long.

Electrical characteristics lightning

Along with observations of the formation of charge and forming processes during a lightning storm, no less attention should be paid to the electrical characteristics Lightning: current in the lightning channel, the amount of charge transferred, the number of repeated blows, as well as the intensity of the thunderstorm activity.

Statistical monitoring of lightning discharges that zips have a different amount of current. The zippers with large currents (about 200 k) are not more than 1% of the total. The same amount of lightning occurs with currents of about 20 Ka.

Portable charge can range from tenths of tens units of electrical current per unit of time, measured in the models. The average charge with multiple zippers is about 20 cl. Bearing in mind that, on average, Lightning has multiplicity equal to three, with one striking the carried over charge in 6-8 kl. With about 3-5 Cl of them flowing into the channel of the leader.

The intensity of the thunderstorm activity

The intensity of the thunderstorm activity rate on the basis of the length and frequency of thunderstorms. But the most important characteristic is the density of lightning strikes the Earth. The density of hits can be expressed as the ratio of the number of lightning strikes per square kilometer in the course of the year.

By calculation the number of lightning strikes, take into account that the object takes on the level, which otherwise would have hit the Earth’s surface called the surface tension that for point objects has the shape of a circle, and for long stretches-rectangle. According to studies, it was determined that the radius of the area of tension in the three times the height of the object. Data on the density of lightning strikes can be obtained from weather service or calculated according to the formula: N = 6.7 * T/100. Where t is the average duration of thunderstorms, which determines the intensity of the storm activity on the cards.

Storm activity is directly dependent on the climate zones and topography of the area. Therefore, the frequency of storm clouds and lightning defeats in various parts of the earth can vary widely. As you can see, lightning is a very complex natural phenomenon with many features. All these parameters are taken into account in the design of protection devices that allow you to feel much more confident at the time of the disaster.