Have you ever wondered the purpose of lightning?

in #science7 years ago (edited)

As a kid, and even now as an adult, I used to love standing out on the back porch watching the lightning shows we routinely get out here during the Monsoon Seasons of Arizona. Almost every afternoon thunderstorms would roll in and light up the skies during that 2 month stretch.

It was fun to watch and all, but I always wondered, what purpose does lightning actually serve? 

People die every year from lightning strikes (approximately 50 people die each year in the US alone), yet could it actually serve a good purpose as well?

The answer to that question is a resounding YES!

What if I told you that lightning was responsible for creating over half of all the usable nitrogen found in the soil? Does that sound believable? 

Well, according to recent studies; 

"up to one-half of all usable nitrogen in the soil is fixed or made usable by the energy of lightning."

What does that mean?

All living things require nitrogen to some degree. We do not produce it ourselves so we are constantly needing to acquire it. Humans get it primarily from the plants or animals that they eat. The animals that we eat that contain nitrogen got it from the plants they ate, or the animals that they ate got it from the plants they ate. Make sense?

Just under 80% of our atmosphere is comprised of nitrogen, but this nitrogen is not usable by humans and most plants in it's gaseous form. Nitrogen gas has a strong covalent bond that our bodies cannot break down and covert to a usable form. 

So, how do we get nitrogen in a usable form?

There are two primary ways:

  1. Certain types of plants (legumes) can absorb nitrogen through their root systems and then convert it to nitrate. They do this by way of bacteria that live in their root systems that convert nitrogen to nitrate. Nitrate is then usable by plants as a fertilizer. 
  2. The large amount of heat and electrical charge caused by lightning causes the nitrogen atoms to cling to oxygen atoms forming nitrogen oxides. These then fall down to the ground in the form of nitrogen oxides or they collect in rain drops and fall down to the ground in the form of rain. 

So when it rains, the plants on the ground receive their life sustaining water as well as a super charged dose of usable nitrogen by way of the electrical storm above. No wonder they look so green after a rain storm!

100 million tons of usable nitrogen compounds are estimated to be created this way world wide. The scope of this is massive and truly remarkable. 

Amazing huh?

The next time you see an electrical storm, instead of running for cover, well you probably should do that, but instead of just appreciating it for it's beauty, remember that it serves a very valuable and important purpose for our planet. 

Storm on my friends!

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning_strike

http://www.christiananswers.net/kids/lightningbenefits.html

http://www.veggiegardener.com/how-lightning-benefits-your-garden/

Image Sources:

http://www.christiananswers.net/kids/lightningbenefits.html

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Great article to bring back to the essentials of beauty and functionality, thanks.

Hey, maybe you would also know about lightning creating ozone as well, doesn't it? In relation to this, as soon as I read the title, I was brought right back to a documentary about the Australian aborigines, specifically from the Kakadu National Park in Northern Australia. At Nourlangie Rock, the Gaagudju people stories tells us of one of their Dreamtime being called Namarrgon, the "Lightning Man".

Thanks again and have a wonderful day, keep your smile and namaste :)

Thank you and thanks for reading. I hadn't heard of that before. Maybe you could so a post about it? It is amazing to me how everything seems to be intricately linked... almost like it was designed that way :)

As you know, nothing lives in isolation and everything is in relation to so many other things. Therefore, everything is not "seemingly" linked, but actually linked on so many levels, one can't even come close to seeing the end of it. The idea of design and the wording used for that greatly varies but always point to the fact that in the field of consciousness all is in relation.

I guess this is why I love aboriginal languages as they are langues of relationships. It has been a pleasure, once again, namaste :)

Interesting thoughts and I agree on many levels... thanks for sharing. Namaste :)

Very good post. I had never put all that together in my mind before or realized lightning's importance.

Yea I hadn't either... here I just thought lightning killed people... glad it has a positive use as well!

Very concise. Thanks!

@kus-knee (The Old Dog)

Thanks for reading and commenting my friend :)

Great explanation! Thanks for putting it together :)

Thank you! I am no scientist, but when I read this last night I figured I had to do a post about it! :) I am sure not many people know this... I know I sure didn't!

Interesting huh? :)

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"The next time you see an electrical storm, instead of running for cover, well you probably should do that"

lol

Haha did you like that?

Interesting. I didn't even know people needed nitrogen.

There you go, you learned two things today! :)

Excelente material. He aprendido algo nuevo el día de hoy. Muchas gracias.

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