Riders on the Storm: Does car exhaust contribute to lightning strikes?
You can add another life-killing phenomenon to the list of deadly byproducts attributable to cars: increased lightning strikes. Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem found that in the southeastern U.S. from 1998-2008, there was 25% more lightning during the work week than on the weekend.
This follows from research by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center that found rainfall in that same area of the country rose during the week. The suspected culprit is automobile pollution, which is causing more storms during the week and increasing the severity of storms. That pollution, and the humid air in the southeast, makes for more clouds to rise and create more conditions for lightning strikes. It's just another step closer to the apocalypse, and we don't doubt that they'll soon be telling us cars cause cancer. Oh, wait... Thanks for the tip, Corey!
[Source: Scientific American via The College Driver]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
tim 4:03PM (1/20/2009)
well, wait a few minutes and you'll hear the right wing zealots say that we humans can't do anything to influence the invironment. "it's a left wing conspiracy!"
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Howard 4:10PM (1/20/2009)
I don't think anything can influence the invironment.
geo.stewart 1:42AM (1/21/2009)
not from this right wing. scientist have documented proof that cars caused the global warming that made the earth habitable for the dinosaurs until the liberal dinosaurs banned them and then extinction set in.
Us on the other hand will need to ban ICE vehicles because we dont like the warmth and want the next Ice age.
geo.stewart 1:41AM (1/21/2009)
not this right wing! scientists have documented proof that cars were the leading cause of the heat wave that enabled the dinosaur era until the liberal dinosaurs banned the ICE engine and we went into another Ice age.
We'll want to ban now for out ice age since the scientists have proven the earth goes in cycles and if we aren't naturally going into a warming period we must be going into a cooling phase masked by the global warming caused by the gas emitted by cars and teenagers lighting their f*rts,
Flashpoint 6:39PM (1/20/2009)
first of all, the environment is going to do its own thing when it wants and man is helpless to stop it.
But, you'd be retarded to think that polluting our atmosphere isn't going to have obvious and lasting effects on humans and animals.
The atmosphere and the hydrosphere can easily and quickly be altered by human activities. The Geosphere - not so much.
there are chemicals which make lightning strikes more likely - just as releasing excess CO2 makes greenhouse effect more likely.
The only thing that will ultimately "repair" the environment is its own cyclical rates of destructive activity which kill off every species not fit for survival.
Man's time will end when it ends and cockroaches till inheret the earth !
Imagine how suprised the cockroaches will be when THEY have to deal with dumb assed presidents and their own version of the RIAA and Fox News.
Frank 7:57AM (1/21/2009)
That's ok Flashpoint, the cockroaches will have CNN - Cockroach Negative News, so they can bitch and complain about everything and demand the cockroach government do something for them that they won't do for themselves. Human, err.., cockroach nature never changes.
Epyx 4:07PM (1/20/2009)
What happens to a Hybrid or electric car when it gets struck by lightning?
Someone get Top Gear to do an episode on that.....
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chops 4:09PM (1/20/2009)
Actually, it would appear there is a coralation between weekday increased consumption of Taco Bell and the resultant emmisions there-of, at leat according to the photo, which seems to support my theory as well as as theirs'. Perhaps we should demand a Taco Bell tax. Wait....isn't this a good thing. More rain while we are work and less while at play. I'm all for less weekend lightning play.
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glenn jufer 4:11PM (1/20/2009)
While I am a believer in global warming and other issues caused by car exhaust, it seems to me that car exhaust is often cited as the cause of many problems that in fact have many causes. Emissions of ALL sorts are higher during the week, not only auto emissions. Business's and factories use considerably more energy, and produce more emissions during the week as well. Now if the lightning strikes spiked during rush hour or within a period of time that directly corresponded to rush hour, say three to five hours after rush hour in a reliable and measurable way I would find this easier to believe. As it stands now it seems like another way of vilifying cars when the issue is considerably more complex.
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Tam 4:13PM (1/20/2009)
The exhaust from my DeLorean causes the 1.21 gigawatts of lightning that I need.
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Doogs 4:12PM (1/20/2009)
Just wondering how this correlates to the near-record drought conditions throughout much of the region.
That and...I find this mildly awesome. Maybe we can figure out someway to tap into all those 1.21 gigawatts...
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Conundrum 6:02PM (1/20/2009)
Texas must be stealing all of the rain from the South East through thier "rain seeding" programs. They dust the clouds with chemicals like silver iodide to increase the output of rain clouds.
Conundrum 6:09PM (1/20/2009)
A link just to prove that I'm not completely nuts...
http://www.tdlr.state.tx.us/weather/weatherfaq.htm
Andrew 4:14PM (1/20/2009)
Mmmmm, tacos....
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maccve 4:16PM (1/20/2009)
Maybe it is really the cows farting more during the week because more cars drive by them when they are standing by the fence chewing their cud....global warming is such a croc....
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DGTLLVR 4:23PM (1/20/2009)
Hey that pic is from the corner of Parmer and Metric in Austin TX. Anyone know where I can find a higher res version?!
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BMWFanatic 4:36PM (1/20/2009)
I feel like it makes sense that there would be 25% more lightning during the 5 work days than on the 2 days of the weekend? I mean, more days = more chances for a storm....
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npChaos 4:41PM (1/20/2009)
Touché salesman, touché.
Dude 4:42PM (1/20/2009)
Your logic and reason must be stopped.
chilipepper 4:34PM (1/20/2009)
What a joke! Maybe we can get some data from NASA and Hebrew university on how much exhaust emissions it will take to turn our desert southwest into a lush tropical paradise from the increased rainfall.
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