what happens when lightning strikes the ocean? why doesn't the whole ocean get electrocuted?

Question

i read somewhere that lightning sometimes strikes from the ground up is this true?

Answer 1

Has to do with the charging particles in the Salt in the Ocean, I can't tell you what happens, but technically the particles short circuit not energize there fore gives you the reason why it does not get electrocuted. Lightning is a Short too many particles charged that need to be neutralized hence need to reach ground where there are more particles than in air to neutralize the charged particles.

Answer 2

Does Lightning Strike The Ocean

Answer 3

With all due respect the person who stated that there is no lightning is partially correct but mainly wrong. I could have interpreted the writing incorrectly so don't take it personally since you do have an obvious understanding of weather. Even though there is less lightning over the ocean than over land, it doesn't justify eliminating it from happening. Land creates much stronger uplift which in turns separates the charges quicker. Storms that explode over warm water or simply have strong enough frontal winds to lift the moist air up usually produce the same rate of lightning as storms over land. When the lightning hits the water it has enough energy to kill all living animals within several meters radius plus considerable depth kill as well. The energy will simply run out before going too far. Think of it like dumping a cup of cold water into a warm bath tub. If your hand is within inches of the area the water spilled into, you will feel the cool spot. If you are a foot or more away, there is no difference. Lightning is known to burn sand into glass tubes shaped exactly like the bolt all the way as far a 100+ feet into the earth. Water would spread out the energy in all directions leaving it diluted after a small distance. Hope this helps.

Answer 4

Scientists have not found dead fish or other animals in the ocean after a lightning strike, BUT the water does conduct the electrical current from the lightning. They speculate that the electrical current is weakened because it spreads out across the wide area of the ocean, and the surface temperature isn't warm enough to create a significant amount of electricity as one might think. So, due to the wide surface area, the lightning is weakened as it spreads out and it doesn't penetrate the depths. It DOES create an electrical current, but quickly dissipates due to the surface area and temperature. Good question.

Answer 5

Isn't the ocean too vast for the whole ocean to be electrocuted. There won't be enough energy for that lighting to supply the whole ocean with electricity. Plus the conditions needed to create lightning would be something different out in the ocean. Humidity and things like that would contribute to a hurricane or something like that out in sea not lightning.

Answer 6

If lightning struck the ocean you would probably see things in the immediate vicinity affected by it. The salt actually helps with conducting the electricty.

The reason the whole ocean doesn't fry up is because of resistance. Resistance is an object's tendancy to restrict electrical current. The further away from the point of impact, the more resistance. More resistance, means less electricity.

Answer 7

What happens when a lightning strikes the ocean is nothing.We didnt hear about it a news yet.But it strikes from ground up and down many times is true.

Answer 8

When lightning hits the ocean the electricity from it is despersed. Lightning does have limitations, just like radio waves, the further out it travels, the weaker it becomes.

Answer 9

http://van.physics.uiuc.edu/qa/listing.php?id=2295

Better answer than anyone will be able to give you.

The whole ocean doesn't get electricuted because the lightning bolt simple doesn't have enough energy to travel that large of a distance.

Cloud to cloud/cloud to ground