Arctic region observes dramatic rise in lightning strikes count with 7,278 in 2021: Report

In a rare instance, the Northernmost part of the Earth, the Arctic region, has witnessed an unprecedented spike in the number of lightning strikes in 2021. What was negligible in the area has nearly doubled in count in comparison to the last nine years combined, an environmental monitoring company, Vaisala said in its annual lightning record report. As many as 7,278 instances were recorded in 2021 alone in north of 80 degrees latitude.

As per the report, climate scientists have indicated that the cause of the instance has mainly remained climate change, since more lightning means warming of temperatures in the predominantly frozen North Pole region. The significant increase has also signaled the impact of climate change on altering global weather, the Finnish firm, Vaisala, said in its report.

“Over the last 10 years, overall lightning counts north of the Arctic Circle have been fairly consistent. But at the highest latitudes of the planet – north of 80° – the increase has been drastic. Such a significant shift certainly causes you to raise your eyebrows," said Vaisala’s meteorologist and lightning applications manager, Chris Vagasky.

Temperature 'constantly rising' in the Arctic region

Emphasising that lightning is a common phenomenon in tropical latitudes due to its requirement of warm moist air, Vaisala scientists also pointed that occurrence is normally associated with an "unstable atmosphere." For the frozen surface and cold winds, a number of lightning strikes in the Arctic were earlier reported until 65 degrees latitude, which had remained unaltered over the past decade. However, the range has been constantly expanding further north, which is a worrisome indication that the planet is "warming up," said Vagasky.

"What we been saying is that lightning and thunderstorms are developing over Siberia and then moving out over the Arctic Ocean and continuing very far north. The warm humid air from all continents are going out over the Arctic Ocean and their persisting," Vagasky told CNN.

Underscoring that the frigid zones have witnessed a consistent rise in temperature at a rate of at least three times the global average, Vagasky also added that tracking lightning has become easier due to the "drying and warming climate." The trend has also been linked to the increase in fossil fuel emissions. Worried about the changing conditions in the North Pole, Vagasky also elaborated on the consequences of the increase in global temperatures. "Changes in the Arctic can mean changes in the weather at home. All-weather is local, but what happens at your house depends on how the atmosphere is behaving elsewhere throughout the world. Changes to conditions in the Arctic could cause more extreme cold outbreaks, more heatwaves, or extreme changes in precipitation to Europe," Vagasky said.

(Image: Unsplash (representative)