A warming planet could lead to more “hot lightning” strikes in many parts of the world, a form of lightning bolt that is much more likely to spark wildfires.
Scientists have long known that lightning is becoming more common in the Arctic, but a new report shows that the trend is increasing especially fast at the highest latitudes.
In September, lightning sparked wildfires in California that spread to more than 185,000 acres, including to sequoia groves that are home to some of the world’s oldest and biggest trees.
Unpredictable winds, fire clouds that spawn lightning, and flames that leap over firebreaks are confounding efforts to fight the blaze, which is sweeping through southern Oregon.
At 17, Juliane Diller was the sole survivor of a plane crash in the Amazon. Fifty years later she still runs Panguana, a research station founded by her parents in Peru.
