Lightning could have sparked the beginnings of life, but the primordial atmosphere might have made it more difficult for lightning to initiate.
electricity
Posted inNews
Extracting Rare Earth Elements from Waste with a Flash of Heat
A method called flash Joule heating could offer a more sustainable way to source essential components of electronics from coal fly ash.
Posted inNews
The Bumpy Search for Liquid Water at the South Pole of Mars
Studies since 2018 have provided competing explanations of bright radar reflections from the base of the south polar ice cap.
Posted inAGU News
Nicoll Receives 2020 Atmospheric and Space Electricity Early Career Award
Keri Nicoll received the 2020 Atmospheric and Space Electricity Early Career Award at AGU’s virtual Fall Meeting 2020. The award recognizes “significant contributions to atmospheric and space electricity science from honorees within 10 years of receiving their Ph.D. degree.”
Posted inFeatures
Rayos Planetarios: Misma Física, Mundos Distantes
Un rayo en el planeta Tierra necesita sólo algunos simples ingredientes para generar una chispa. Esos ingredientes existen en todo el sistema solar y más allá.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Is Space Weather Worse by the Sea?
A new simulation of space-weather driven geoelectric fields at the land/sea conductivity boundary shows how these fields are magnified by both coastal effects and inhomogeneous land conductivity.
Posted inFeatures
Planetary Lightning: Same Physics, Distant Worlds
Lightning on Earth needs just a few simple ingredients to generate a spark. Those ingredients exist throughout the solar system and beyond.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Mapping Geoelectric Hazards Across the United States
Variations in Earth’s magnetic field can induce electric fields in the ground, driving damaging currents through our power grids.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Venus's Unexpected, Electrifying Water Loss
New research shows that an electric field surrounding Venus is stripping its atmosphere of water—and the same phenomenon may plague exoplanets scientists hope might be habitable.
Posted inNews
Electrical Concrete Offers Green Alternative to Airport Deicers
The Federal Aviation Administration is testing conductive concrete as a replacement for water-polluting chemicals used to melt ice from airport tarmacs.