Lightning Can Trigger Nuclear Reactions, Creating Rare Atomic Isotopes (sciencemag.org)

sciencehabit shares a report from Science Magazine: Rare forms of atoms, like carbon-13, carbon-14, and nitrogen-15, have long been used to figure out the ages of ancient artifacts and probe the nuances of prehistoric food chains. The source of these rare isotopes? Complicated cascades of subatomic reactions in the atmosphere triggered by high-energy cosmic rays from outer space. Now, a team of scientists is adding one more isotope initiator to its list: lightning. Strong bolts of lightning can unleash the same flurry of nuclear reactions as cosmic rays, the researchers report in Nature. But, they add, the isotopes created by these storms likely constitute a small portion of all such atoms -- so the new findings are unlikely to change the way other scientists use them for dating and geotracing.

Comments

Interesting

[rmdingler]

It's interesting to note these scientists have just introduced the discovery of a natural phenomenon that creates rare atomic isotopes previously associated with cosmic rays entering earth's atmosphere, and are at once certain " the isotopes created by these storms likely constitute a small portion of all such atoms."

Re:Interesting

[FatdogHaiku]

Well, we're talking about roughly 1.4 billion flashes per year, and they're not evenly distributed around the planet. As to the power of each flash, I don't know how you could get good readings and keep the sensors intact... only 10 to 20 percent of the bolts reach the ground so we need disposable balloons or something to get actual voltages. Getting amperes or wattage has to be an estimate. So, now we know that rare isotopes created... but is lightning also creating common isotopes? If so, how much and what kinds? There could be WAY more going on then these first clues indicate.
More on lightning here:
http://www.aharfield.co.uk/lightning-protection-services/about-lightning
and here:
https://www.treehugger.com/natural-sciences/where-world-does-lightning-strike-most.html
and here:
http://geology.com/articles/lightning-map.shtml

No Comments?

[asylumx]

One of the few articles that are actually related to science. Not a clickbait headline... and there are no comments. I get that real science isn't "sexy" but it'd be nice to see a discussion about what this discovery could mean. What are the wild ideas for using lightning to create this isotope? What are the new possibilities? I imagine that we'll be able to generate them artificially, so what can be done with them? IANA Physicist but there used to be some here, and their comments were always welcomed and interesting.

Re:Checkmate!

[gtall]

My money's on the nutcase who wants to use his self-made rocket to prove the earth is flat and Darwin's Survival of the Smartest, all in one shot.

Re:But can it create

[nospam007]

"It's really not that big of a deal, when you consider what happens in some parts of the world. Isis killed 300+ in a mosque in Egypt. These are fellow muslims. "

Fellow? Hardly. They were Sufis, apostates.

"They are subhuman animals."

You mean like Christians, who made war among themselves for hundreds of years because of some minor differences in interpretation of non-existent gods?

Re: There is more salty water than air.

[93 Escort Wagon]

You don’t need to be a nuclear engineer to know all that - you only need to be somewhat technically literate.

I will quibble with part of your comment though. Nuclear reactors do not pollute the atmosphere during routine operation. There are circumstances where reactors have released (usually small amounts of) radioactive material into the air - these things are well-studied. Also, the potentially bigger environmental concern raised by some has been the affect of increased water temperature on fish and other aquatic life due to the release of cooling water into rivers and such. Regulation, combined with monitoring, helps ameliorate this.