Thunderstorms may be fewer but more violent due to climate change

GlobalPost

Study links climate change to fewer but more violent thunderstorms.

Researchers at Tel Aviv University have said that for every one degree Celsius of global warming, there will be about a 10 percent increase in lightning activity.

The Hindu reported that scientist Colin Price ran computer models and looked at examples of weather patterns such as El Nino in Southeast Asia to see how changing temperatures can impact storms.

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The computer models mimic real life weather conditions and allow researchers to input changes such as increasing carbon dioxide levels.

“During El Nino years, which occur in the Pacific Ocean or Basin, Southeast Asia gets warmer and drier. There are fewer thunderstorms, but we found 50 per cent more lightning activity,” said Price, according to Zee News.

The study author said that the violent electrical storms will certainly have negative consequences such as flash floods, wild fires, or damage to infrastructure.

The study was published in the Journal of Geophysical Research and Atmospheric Research.

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