Chin, S.L., Guo, X., Schroeder, H., Song, D., Xia, A., Kong, F., Xu, H., Wang, T.-J., and Li, R. (2023) Charging Mechanism of Lightning at the Molecular Level. Atmospheric and Climate Sciences, 13, 415-430.
https://doi.org/10.4236/acs.2023.134023

has been cited by the following article:

• TITLE: Lightning in a Forest (Wild) Fire: Mechanism at the Molecular Level

  AUTHORS: See Leang Chin, Xueliang Guo, Harmut Schroeder, Huanbin Xu, Tie-Jun Wang, Ruxin Li, Weiwei Liu

  KEYWORDS: Forest Wild Fire, Lightning, Molecular Level

  JOURNAL NAME: Atmospheric and Climate Sciences, Vol.14 No.1, January 19, 2024

  ABSTRACT: The mechanism of lightning that ignites a forest fire and the lightning that occurs above a forest fire are explained at the molecular level. It is based on two phenomena, namely, internal charge separation inside the atmospheric cloud particles and the existence of a layer of positively charged hydrogen atoms sticking out of the surface of the liquid layer of water on the surface of rimers. Strong turbulence-driven collisions of the ice particles and water droplets with the rimers give rise to breakups of the ice particles and water droplets into positively and negatively charged fragments leading to charge separation. Hot weather in a forest contributes to the updraft of hot and humid air, which follows the same physical/chemical processes of normal lightning proposed and explained recently[1]. Lightning would have a high probability of lighting up and burning the dry biological materials in the ground of the forest, leading to a forest (wild) fire. The burning of trees and other plants would release a lot of heat and moisture together with a lot of smoke particles (aerosols) becoming a strong updraft. The condition for creating lightning is again satisfied which would result in further lightning high above the forest wild fire.