Climate change raises lightning threat; over 100 killed in April alone
Abdur Rahman Jahangir, UNB Staff Writer
Dhaka, May 11 (UNB) - Rising temperature, erratic weather and climate variability caused by global warming are contributing to the increase in frequency of lightning strikes in the country, posing a serious threat to public safety, according to experts.
Several hundred people fall victims to lightning strikes every year in the country. About 100 people were killed and many more injured in lightning strikes alone in April this year, according to reports published in different national dailies during the period, showing an increased frequency in lightning strikes in the country.
“Bangladesh experiences lightning strikes mainly during pre-monsoon period (March -May). But climate change is contributing to its increased frequency as the recent years have seen a greater number of fatal incidents of lightning strike except last year,“ M Abdul Mannan, scientist at Saarc Metrological Research Centre (SMRC) , told UNB correspondent Abdur Rahman Jahangir.
Describing the relation between the growing frequency of lightning and global warming, Mannan, also a meteorologist, said climate variability has increased notably in recent years. Sometimes monsoon sets in around mid or late June instead of the first week of June while winter sets in towards the mid or end of December instead of early November. As a result, the rainy season and winter are getting shorter, exhibiting the adverse impact of global warming and triggering an increased number of lightning strikes.
Mannan suggested making people aware of lightning and strengthening warning system and network to reach the warning messages to people for bringing down the casualty caused by thunderbolt strikes.
Shah Alam, deputy director of Meteorological Department, said the frequency of lightning strike has increased sharply this year taking its heavy toll on human lives. “Though the Met office has no statistics, this year’s death toll is much higher than last year’s during the pre-monsoon time as per the lightning cases reported in different newspapers. With the increased amount of warm moist air over the atmosphere due to global warming, the intensity of lightning is getting severer,” he said.
Echoing Mannan, Alam said seasonal change, erratic rainfall and abnormal behaviour of weather are increasing the occurrence of thunderbolt strikes.
Dr Saleemul Huq, an international climate change expert, in an article said the seasons have changed. “The regional model projections say the rainfall pattern will become more erratic in the South Asian monsoon season. There’s a possibility of heavier monsoon and longer dry seasons,” he said.
Dr Ainun Nishat, a climate expert and Vice Chancellor of Brac University, said global warming has a strong co-relation with lightning and it has already intensified lightning strikes mainly in our region (mid-latitudes).
He said Bangladesh is witnessing an increase in lightning frequency due to climate change as global climate experts think warmer climate increases lightning frequency.
Quoting a report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), he said global lightning activity will increase if the average global temperature increases.
Contacted, Amanat Ullah Khan, a professor of Geography and Environment department at DhakaUniversity, said the earth is vulnerable to thunder and lightning from time to time. Though the frequency of lightning apparently increased in recent times in Bangladesh, there is no study here to find its reasons, he added. He, however, said it is still not clear that lightning is increasing due to climate change.
But a growing number of international experts believe that the increasing lightning frequency has a strong cor-elation with climate change.
NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and Columbia University researchers Colin Price and David Rind in their article ‘Possible Implications Of Global Climate Change On Global Lightning’ said future climate change could have significant repercussions on two related natural hazards: lightning and forest fires.
They mentioned, the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) general circulation model (GCM), has been used to study possible changes in lightning and forest fires as a result of climate change. Initial model results show that for an atmosphere containing twice today’s CO2 concentration, the global lightning activity increases by approximately 32 percent, while the likelihood of severe drought conditions increases from 1 percent in today’s climate to nearly 50 percent by the year 2060.
Colin Price, Prof of department of geophysics and planetary science of Tel Aviv University, in his article ‘Thunderstorms, Lightning and Climate Change’ said the distribution of lightning around the planet is directly linked to the earth’s climate which is drive by solar isolation. Lightning discharges in thunderstorms are an indication of intensity of atmospheric convection.
“If we change the climate, we’ll change the regions of conviction their intensity, and hence will change the lightning patterns around the globe,“ Price said adding that numerous climate model simulations have shown that lightning activity will increase in warmer climate.
Thomas W Schmidlin, PhD, Professor, Certified Consulting Meteorologist Department of Geography, Kent State University, Kent OH USA in his article ‘Risk Factors and Social Vulnerability’ said Bangladesh has among the highest death rates in the world from the hazards of tornadoes, strong wind, lightning, and hail.
Current technology provides ineffective warning and communication. Social vulnerability to hazards is high due to poverty, weak housing, illiteracy, and lack of emergency services.
“Lightning occurs with all thunderstorms. Numerous cloud-to-ground lightning strokes in severe local storms pose a serious threat to people who are outdoors and may even injure people in homes. The maximum occurrence of lightning over the entire Indian subcontinent occurs in centralBangladesh during the pre-monsoon season (March-May) with 40 lightning strikes per square kilometer. Over 150 people are killed annually by lightning in Bangladesh, as reported in newspapers, but the actual death toll may be 500-1,000,“ Thomas W Schmidlin mentioned in his article.
Several hundred people fall victims to lightning strikes every year in the country. About 100 people were killed and many more injured in lightning strikes alone in April this year, according to reports published in different national dailies during the period, showing an increased frequency in lightning strikes in the country.
“Bangladesh experiences lightning strikes mainly during pre-monsoon period (March -May). But climate change is contributing to its increased frequency as the recent years have seen a greater number of fatal incidents of lightning strike except last year,“ M Abdul Mannan, scientist at Saarc Metrological Research Centre (SMRC) , told UNB correspondent Abdur Rahman Jahangir.
Describing the relation between the growing frequency of lightning and global warming, Mannan, also a meteorologist, said climate variability has increased notably in recent years. Sometimes monsoon sets in around mid or late June instead of the first week of June while winter sets in towards the mid or end of December instead of early November. As a result, the rainy season and winter are getting shorter, exhibiting the adverse impact of global warming and triggering an increased number of lightning strikes.
Mannan suggested making people aware of lightning and strengthening warning system and network to reach the warning messages to people for bringing down the casualty caused by thunderbolt strikes.
Shah Alam, deputy director of Meteorological Department, said the frequency of lightning strike has increased sharply this year taking its heavy toll on human lives. “Though the Met office has no statistics, this year’s death toll is much higher than last year’s during the pre-monsoon time as per the lightning cases reported in different newspapers. With the increased amount of warm moist air over the atmosphere due to global warming, the intensity of lightning is getting severer,” he said.
Echoing Mannan, Alam said seasonal change, erratic rainfall and abnormal behaviour of weather are increasing the occurrence of thunderbolt strikes.
Dr Saleemul Huq, an international climate change expert, in an article said the seasons have changed. “The regional model projections say the rainfall pattern will become more erratic in the South Asian monsoon season. There’s a possibility of heavier monsoon and longer dry seasons,” he said.
Dr Ainun Nishat, a climate expert and Vice Chancellor of Brac University, said global warming has a strong co-relation with lightning and it has already intensified lightning strikes mainly in our region (mid-latitudes).
He said Bangladesh is witnessing an increase in lightning frequency due to climate change as global climate experts think warmer climate increases lightning frequency.
Quoting a report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), he said global lightning activity will increase if the average global temperature increases.
Contacted, Amanat Ullah Khan, a professor of Geography and Environment department at DhakaUniversity, said the earth is vulnerable to thunder and lightning from time to time. Though the frequency of lightning apparently increased in recent times in Bangladesh, there is no study here to find its reasons, he added. He, however, said it is still not clear that lightning is increasing due to climate change.
But a growing number of international experts believe that the increasing lightning frequency has a strong cor-elation with climate change.
NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and Columbia University researchers Colin Price and David Rind in their article ‘Possible Implications Of Global Climate Change On Global Lightning’ said future climate change could have significant repercussions on two related natural hazards: lightning and forest fires.
They mentioned, the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) general circulation model (GCM), has been used to study possible changes in lightning and forest fires as a result of climate change. Initial model results show that for an atmosphere containing twice today’s CO2 concentration, the global lightning activity increases by approximately 32 percent, while the likelihood of severe drought conditions increases from 1 percent in today’s climate to nearly 50 percent by the year 2060.
Colin Price, Prof of department of geophysics and planetary science of Tel Aviv University, in his article ‘Thunderstorms, Lightning and Climate Change’ said the distribution of lightning around the planet is directly linked to the earth’s climate which is drive by solar isolation. Lightning discharges in thunderstorms are an indication of intensity of atmospheric convection.
“If we change the climate, we’ll change the regions of conviction their intensity, and hence will change the lightning patterns around the globe,“ Price said adding that numerous climate model simulations have shown that lightning activity will increase in warmer climate.
Thomas W Schmidlin, PhD, Professor, Certified Consulting Meteorologist Department of Geography, Kent State University, Kent OH USA in his article ‘Risk Factors and Social Vulnerability’ said Bangladesh has among the highest death rates in the world from the hazards of tornadoes, strong wind, lightning, and hail.
Current technology provides ineffective warning and communication. Social vulnerability to hazards is high due to poverty, weak housing, illiteracy, and lack of emergency services.
“Lightning occurs with all thunderstorms. Numerous cloud-to-ground lightning strokes in severe local storms pose a serious threat to people who are outdoors and may even injure people in homes. The maximum occurrence of lightning over the entire Indian subcontinent occurs in centralBangladesh during the pre-monsoon season (March-May) with 40 lightning strikes per square kilometer. Over 150 people are killed annually by lightning in Bangladesh, as reported in newspapers, but the actual death toll may be 500-1,000,“ Thomas W Schmidlin mentioned in his article.
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