AGU Press Release: Scientists detect dark lightning linked to visible lightning

Posted By: bcss On 24. April 2013

A press release entitled “Scientists detect dark lightning linked to visible lightning” was published by AGU (American Geophysical Union) based on a GRL (Geophyiscal Research Letters) paper by Nikolai Østgaard, Thomas Gjesteland, Brant Carlson from the Birkeland Centre for Space Science (other authors include A. B. Collier, S. A. Cummer, G. Lu, and H. J.Christian).

This is an excerpt from the press release – more details are available at the link above:

Researchers have identified a burst of high-energy radiation known as ‘dark lightning” immediately preceding a flash of ordinary lightning. The new finding provides observational evidence that the two phenomena are connected, although the exact nature of the relationship between ordinary bright lightning and the dark variety is still unclear, the scientists said.

A video regarding the research findings are posted on AGU’s YouTube page.

The AGU press release has been picked up by a variety of online newspapers and blogs, including the following: