Why Lightening?

Saying everything exists for a reason, wouldn't be far from a good analytical starting point, we know that the Bio sphere, keeps itself in as balanced loop as possible. The reason for Fungi is to break down dead matter, and then leave it to the bacteria, to carry on. The reason plants push out oxygen, is because, all life requires this gas, to make everything work . The reason for the Sun is to stop the water forming into ice, and freezing everything. So its all about maintaining life, arguably a very rare thing in the Universe.

So the question I had to ask, is not the scientific, reasons why lightening acts as it does. But what is its purpose in maintaining the balance of life on Earth. That's assuming it has a reason to exist, which it most likely has, and probably like all the other things is vital for life on this Earth. So assuming it is vital for life, I ask the questions why and how, is it most necessary?

Does the energy strike, power the earth up in some unknown way? their are thousands of strikes per day, it must have a reason, like charging up the organism, everything is information, is it conveying information? Is its purpose, much the same as in any electrical circuit, to cause some function. The strikes fan along Telluric currents, with massive amounts of energy. Did the ancients know something, with regard to placing monuments . What is the reason for a massive regular injection of electrons into the fabric? any ideas?

a reply to: anonentity

Half of me believes its purpose is to act as a discharge for the system. The other half believes lightnings purpose is to start wildfires, burning off underbrush in the process.

a reply to: anonentity

Perhaps lightning acts as a fueling or a power refueling station for crafts above that we cannot see.

Lightning cools and purifies the air, it also creates nitrogen.

a reply to: anonentity

Lightning produces ozone.
That helps keeping the UV from the sun from cooking everything.

a reply to: anonentity
I love lightning its power is only matched by its beauty. Besides it being a source of wonder to us humans, I found this little bit on how it produces nitrogen helping to fertilize our plants

Link
A nitrogen molecule in the air consists of two atoms which are held together very tightly. In order for us to absorb nitrogen, the two atoms must be separated. But the two atoms are held together so tightly that our body chemistry does not have enough energy to process them. This is where lightning comes in. Obviously we don’t have to be struck by lighting in order to satisfy our need for nitrogen! However, in a thunderstorm there is enough electrical energy in lightning to separate the nitrogen atoms in the air. Once the atoms are separated they can fall to earth with rain water, and combine with minerals in the soil to form nitrates, a type of fertilizer. The nitrogen-containing nitrates in the soil are absorbed by the plants, and when we eat the plants or the animals which eat the plants, we get the nitrogen in a form which our bodies can use. So, in addition to providing a spectacular light show, and scaring us to death, lightning also helps fertilize the soil.

I'll also second what ventian said about starting brush fires to help burn underbrush.

Here's a nifty little real time lightening map!

link

a reply to: anonentity

There are many things that are a result of lightning, as have already been posted.

I wonder, though, if it can't be considered as natures flashing marquee reminding us that there is so much untapped potential energy produced by the earth that we really should be using it. Maybe it exists because it's the natural way for the earth to use up the excess energy that it produces in order to keep a balance.

I wonder if, in the future, when wind and solar power takes that energy that would normally be applied to the earth or atmosphere and uses it for mankind's needs, if lightning will decrease in intensity and frequency.

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As an aside, that's an angle I never hear anyone who is a big proponent of renewable energy discuss: What happens to the earth when we remove energy that it used to receive? I mean, the problems right now are that we introduce energy from what was lying dormant in the earth (coal, oil, natural gas, etc.)...but wind and sunlight are things that the earth uses every day to fuel itself.

It's just an interesting question I sometimes ask myself.

originally posted by: mikegrouchy

That's mesmerizing.

originally posted by: mikegrouchy

originally posted by: SlapMonkey
That's mesmerizing.

It takes lightning ... to make ... lightning.


Mike Grouchy

Lightning is part of the water cycle . Water evaporates from the surface (oceans, lakes, rivers), and gain or carries some electrical charge with it as it goes up into the atmosphere. As the air cools down, this charge accumulates and then redistributed across the sky. The shock waves from a lightning bolt help water molecules collide and form rain drops which fall back to Earth. In some parts of the world like Australia and California, some trees and bushes won't release their seeds unless a forest fire (caused by lightning strikes) happens.

a reply to: stormcell

So it seems that lightening does many things required for life on Earth to flourish. It releases nitrogen, it shocks the clouds to produce rain, seeds needs the fire it produces as an ignition source . It produces Ozone to protect the Earth from some of the suns dangerous rays. All these things and probably a lot more. Their must exist a natural capacitance, between the ground and the sky, if you put a metal rod into the earth not far from a tree, and then put a nail in the tree, and connect the two with a wire, the voltage should read 1.5 volts. Which means the tree is in an electrical circuit. So in the natural order of things their should be a static build up of electrons, in the forest canopy. That on a dry day, would tend to build up , and when like Australian gum , puts its vapour into the canopy, it only would need the spark, for a flash fire to start the regeneration cycle. This seems to be intelligence of the highest order.

I also read that if you connect the same nail, that's in the tree, to a radio aerial, you can get some very strange signals come in, their was one report, of one guy, in America getting, a Taxi driver calling his base in Iran. Which means that the Taxi drivers signal, used a Telluric current , as a carrier wave. Which means that, we seem to have, a situation where any energy imprinted on the Earth current, modifies the current and can be de modulated, back to its original state . Many rocks in the circuit, would share a lattice structure like the silicon chip, and could conceivably act as storage.

We could also discern that life on earth, needs so many complicated electrical systems working in balance , that its not really looking like a random occurrence.