10. Red Lightning and Climate Change
Scientists are become more and more fascinated in how global warming can influence the frequency and features of red lightning as our planet deals with climate change. Although the link between red lightning and climate change is yet unknown, some possible links have been suggested. In many areas, rising global temperatures are predicted to intensify the frequency and intensity of severe thunderstorms, hence increasing the likelihood of more frequent red lightning episodes. Variations in atmospheric composition—especially those related to greenhouse gases—may change the electrical characteristics of the upper atmosphere, therefore influencing the development and spread of sprites and other transient light occurrences. Some research speculate that variations in the height of the tropopause—the border separating the troposphere from the stratosphere—caused by climate change could affect the height at which red lightning strikes. Furthermore changing the geographic location of red lightning hotspots could be changes in global circulation patterns and storm trajectories. Tracking variations in red lightning patterns over time could offer important signals of more general atmospheric changes linked with climate change. But the complicated character of atmospheric electricity and the rather limited observational record of red lightning events make it difficult to reach firm conclusions regarding long-term patterns. Understanding how this amazing phenomena may develop in a changing environment and what it might teach us about the condition of the atmosphere of our planet depends on ongoing research and long-term monitoring of red light episodes.