Unveiling Nature's Mysteries: Red Lightning in 15 Meteorological Conditions

11. Polar Stratospheric Clouds

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Rare and ethereal background for the occurrence of red lightning are polar stratospheric clouds, sometimes referred to as nacreous or mother-of-pearl clouds. Forming in the winter polar stratosphere between 15,000 and 25,000 meters, these high-altitude clouds produce a special setting for electrical events. The exceptional circumstances in the polar stratosphere lead to the development of red lightning in connection with polar stratospheric clouds. Comprising a mixture of supercooled water droplets and ice crystals, these clouds develop at temperatures less than -78°C (-108°F). These particles and the very low temperature provide an environment with quite different electrical characteristics than at lower altitudes. Electrical discharges in this atmosphere can generate lightning with a characteristic red colour. There are various elements particular to the stratosphere that are hypothesised to affect the redness. Higher quantities of some elements found in the thin air at these altitudes can influence the spectrum of light emitted during electrical discharges, compared to the lower atmosphere. Furthermore, the ice crystals in polar stratospheric clouds can function as prisms, diffusing and refracting light in ways that improve the red end of the spectrum. Studying red lightning connected with polar stratospheric clouds provides important new perspectives on the electrical characteristics of the high atmosphere and the intricate interactions among light, particles, and electrical energy in severe conditions for atmospheric scientists and physicists. This work affects knowledge of high-altitude atmospheric chemistry, polar area climate processes, and possibly the possibility of analogous events on other planets with stratified atmospheres.