Is the Coriolis effect the main cause for lightning across the planet???

Question

Thanks for the extra detail...Tom Science 4

Answer 1

An interesting question, but I see no connection at all. Otherwise there would not be thunderstorms between the equator and 5 deg north and south where the coriolis accelerations are near zero. No, lightening is entirely caused by the collision of rain droplets and the redistribution of electrical charges with a cumulonimbus cloud.

Answer 2

Coriolis is the turning effect caused by the rotation of the planet about its axis. It gives a rotation of one revolution per day.

Mesoscale systems such as thunderstorms are affected by Coriolis which is why rotations in thunderstorms and tornadoes are different in each hemisphere. Lightning, on the other hand, is caused by the vertical motion of particles, particularly ice particles, within the cloud. Coriolis, therefore, is not a cause of lightning.

Answer 3

coriolis effect can be the cause for air circulations and currents, but lightening is due to the the elec charge earthening when the layers of rise and move relative to each other. lightening is local phenomenon.


Indirectly coriolis can effect lightening as this effect does couse air currents to form which inturn cause lightening

nature acts as a whole eben the seemingly minute happenings have a role to play in our environment

Answer 4

A Good article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coriolis_effect

It doesn't seem to have anything to do with lightening though.