Gamma radiation is produced in large tropical thunderstorms

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Media Units and Science Communication

  • Strong pushback on describing storm electric fields as “100 million AA batteries stacked end-to-end” instead of ~150 megavolts.
  • Critics argue:
    • SI units are clearer and comparable (e.g., to high‑voltage substations, Van de Graaff generators).
    • A stack of batteries is a voltage analogy, not an electric field (which is voltage per length).
    • “Millions of batteries” is no more intuitive than “megavolts” for most people.
  • Defenders argue:
    • Journalists target ~4th–6th grade reading levels; familiar objects (batteries, football fields, whales, cheese, etc.) help readers grasp scale.
    • “Megavolt” itself is obscure to non‑specialists.
  • Thread expands into “journalist units” (football fields, whales, “millions of dollars”) and how rounding and vague numbers can both mislead and simplify.

Electric Fields, Lightning, and Energy Scale

  • Clarifications:
    • Voltage ≠ power; megavolts don’t directly tell you household energy equivalence.
    • Lightning bolts carry large energy (billions of joules, ~kWh scale), but over microseconds.
  • Some note the article blurs field strength and potential.
  • Side discussion on humorous units (electric eels, football fields, etc.).

Sprites and High-Energy Atmospheric Phenomena

  • Commenters connect the article to “red sprites” and other upward lightning phenomena.
  • Noted:
    • These discharges are powerful enough to create brief aurora-like effects.
    • They were long reported by pilots but only recently widely accepted and imaged.
  • Linked storm-chaser and space-based imagery are praised for showing scale and altitude.

Gamma Radiation, Mutation, and Biodiversity

  • Question: could thunderstorm gamma radiation help explain high tropical biodiversity?
  • Responses:
    • Some say the effect on mutation rates is “insignificant” and biomass and environment dominate.
    • Others point to research that gamma rays and natural radioactivity can increase mutation rates and are used deliberately (e.g., atomic gardening), but no consensus is reached on ecological impact here.
  • Discussion digresses into how biodiversity is measured (microbial vs macro-organisms) and the difference between genetic diversity and broader biodiversity; no clear resolution.

Alternative Thunderstorm Theories

  • A plasma-flow-based hypothesis for storm and tornado formation is mentioned as fringe and outside mainstream.
  • No detailed scientific evaluation in the thread; interest expressed but status remains unclear.

Radiation from Everyday Phenomena

  • Article reminds some of x‑rays from peeling Scotch tape and broader “mechanoluminescence” phenomena (triboluminescence, sonoluminescence, earthquake lights).
  • There is clarification that:
    • Gamma rays (nuclear/annihilation origin) differ from x‑rays from electronic processes.
    • Thunderstorms can act like particle accelerators, “atom-smashing” to produce high‑energy photons.

Lightning Safety and EMI

  • Beyond direct strikes and voltage, commenters highlight:
    • Strong electromagnetic interference from nearby lightning can induce damaging currents in electronics and radio gear.
  • Curiosity about whether devices or materials could safely capture lightning energy is raised but not answered in detail.