Thundering and lightninging frequently happen over the earth. It is a worldwide and frequently happening phenomenon which is experienced almost everywhere and by everybody. However, the present question is whether this phenomenon is beneficial for ecosystem or not? If yes, then what are its benefits and which aspects can be harmful for ecosystem.
Facts based logical answer would be helpful in understanding the matter.
Well,
Chapter Global Lightning Distribution
https://www.compoundchem.com/2018/07/31/thunderstorms/
Regards
Lighting dissolves atmospheric nitrogen that eventually helps fertilizes the plants. It is also reported that Lightning produces ozone.
In Brazilian Savanna (Cerrado), lightning can cause fire outbreaks during the beginning of the wet season because the grassy biomass is very dry after the dry season. The fire incidence in Cerrado is high and several plant species are morphologically adapted to this phenomenon. I am adding two references: the first is on fire caused by lightning in Cerrado (Ramos-Neto and Pivello 2000) and the second is an article on a massive flowering of a Cerrado plant species after a fire that we have studied (Araújo and Rocha-Filho 2019).
Ramos-Neto MB, Pivello VR (2000) Lightning fires in a Brazilian savanna national park: rethinking management strategies. Environmental Management 26: 675-684. doi: 10.1007/ s002670010124
Araújo FP, Rocha-Filho LC (2019) Special offer while stocks last: high-energy pulse of nectar caused by a massive post-fire flowering of Sinningia elatior (Gesneriaceae) in an area of Cerrado and implications for its pollination. Rodriguésia 70: e03462017. doi: 10.1590/2175-7860201970048
Thanks for informative answer about negative aspects of the phenomenon Léo Correia da Rocha Filho
Sheikh Hefzul Bari thanks for your worthwhile answer about highly beneficial aspect of the phenomenon.
Lightning adds nitrogen to soil by promoting non-biological nitrogen fixation.
Thanks Arvind Singh.
It means phenomenon is highly beneficial for ecosystem because nitrogen in huge amounts is an essential requirement of plants specifically for protein synthesis.
Lightning Brings Benefits As Well As Troubles - The Roundup
www.roundupweb.com › 2012/04/04 › ag-roundup › li...
Apr 4, 2012 -
Abhijit Mitra you are right, but if compared, it's benefits are perhaps more than harms.
A. Jubilee thanks for your useful response. The aspect you mentioned is highly beneficial for ecosystem.
Lightning essentially facilitates plants to grow. The heat of the lightning relates with nitrogen and oxygen in the atmosphere. For this reason, nitrates are formed. When diluted with the rain, they fall to the ground as a natural fertilizer.
Yes Md. Mizanur Rahman atmosphere is the store house of nitrogen and oxygen and supply of atmospheric nitrogen can only meet the plant's huge needs of nitrogen.
There are about 40 000 thunderstorms over the earth’s surface every day and each of them is responsible for releasing a vast amount of energy greatly exceeding the energy produced by the human-made systems. A supercell thunderstorms with a strong rotating updraft are responsible for appearance of high winds, hail and even tornadoes. All these processes are very destructive and the global insurance industry is acutely aware of the high cost of convective scale weather. On another hand, the existence of the thunderstorms is essential to redistribute the Convective Available Potential Energy and drive the global electric circuit of the atmosphere. Their role is therefore essential to maintain the stability of the global Earth system and to regulate some aspects of tropospheric chemistry. The thunderstorms can be thus perceived as part of the opposing duality. For example, the injection of stratospheric ozone associated with the lightning supercells acts as a cleansing agent eliminating the vast amount of pathogens albeit having a detrimental effect on some plants.
Thanks Janusz Pudykiewicz
for providing useful information about the benefits of thunderstorms. The information you provided enhanced my knowledge and helped in understanding the importance of thunderstorms for global systems.
Very beneficial to nature, that is why it happens and no one can stop it.
It relieves the huge amount of static electricity in the air. It transforms the nitrogen gas into nitrates for use by the plants. It starts a forest fire which is necessary to rejuvenate and germinate the forest.
Thanks Michael Issigonis for adding informative answer about the benefits of thundering and lightninging
Thanks Neda Ravankhah for your informative answer that really enhanced my information about thundering and lighteninging.
Yes it is because lighting causes electric discharge and this enormous energy of lightning breaks nitrogen molecules and enables their atoms to combine with oxygen in the air forming nitrogen oxides. These dissolve in rain, forming nitrates, that are carried to the earth. It constitute about 5-8% of the total non biological nitrogen fixation.
Thanks Faraz Ahmad Khan for your informative response. It means that phenomenon is beneficial for soil fertility.
All answers provided are very precise however, excessive lightning displaces it's ionic power (strength) of soil hence soil ability to bind with available nutrients and water becomes weaker, thereby altering the soil specific purpose.
