What is the term for ground that has been turned to glass by lightning?
Q: I read some years ago that lightning actually has some benefits when it strikes. This was related to some phenomenon occurring in the atmosphere when a bolt occurs. Is there anything to this, and if so, what would it be? A: The air that lightning flashes through is mostly nitrogen, but in a form that plants can’t use. Lightning “fixes” or converts some of this nitrogen into a mineral nutrient that plants need. But the nitrogen fixed by lightning is only a small share of that needed by the world’s plant life. Microorganisms do most of this work If you go to the USATODAY.com Understanding lightning page and scroll down to the ribbon (near the bottom) that reads “Fixing of nitrogen by lightning,” you’ll find a link to more information. Lightning also helps maintain the global electrical circuit. This, according to the glossary of a National Academy of Sciences report on space weather, is “composed of phenomena that generate and dissipate electrical currents in Earth’s atmosphere. The g
Q: I read some years ago that lightning actually has some benefits when it strikes. This was related to some phenomenon occurring in the atmosphere when a bolt occurs. Is there anything to this, and if so, what would it be? A: The air that lightning flashes through is mostly nitrogen, but in a form that plants can’t use. Lightning “fixes” or converts some of this nitrogen into a mineral nutrient that plants need. But the nitrogen fixed by lightning is only a small share of that needed by the world’s plant life. Microorganisms do most of this work If you go to the USATODAY.com Understanding lightning page and scroll down to the ribbon (near the bottom) that reads “Fixing of nitrogen by lightning,” you’ll find a link to more information. Lightning also helps maintain the global electrical circuit. This, according to the glossary of a National Academy of Sciences report on space weather, is “composed of phenomena that generate and dissipate electrical currents in Earth’s atmosphere. The g
