lightning is truly enlightening.

                                                                                There is a Purpose?

What is the purpose of lightning? That might sound like a deeply philosophical question, but scientists may have shed some more light on the answer with the results of a recently released study.

The new study published at the end of April in Science magazine found that lightning may play a bigger role in global climate change than was previously known by the scientific community. "Lightning increases the atmosphere’s ability to cleanse itself," researchers wrote in the study, and the Earth is struck by lightning nearly 20 million times each year.

                                                                                  Chase the storm

The study, which included contributions from nine different atmospheric researchers across almost a dozen universities and meteorological agencies, was based on an airborne research flight conducted by a NASA DC-8 storm-chasing plane in 2012. The plane was used to examine the top portion of thunderstorm clouds, which are known as anvils.

According to Dr. William Brune, a professor of meteorology and atmospheric sciences at Pennsylvania State University and co-author of the study, researchers initially thought there was a problem with the equipment on the plane, which was being used to measure the hydroxyl radicals (OH) in the atmosphere until they realised spikes they observed corresponded with lightning flashes, ABC News reported.

Hydroxyl radicals, described as a "chemical scavenger" by Science Direct, are important chemical compounds found in the atmosphere due to the reactive nature with other organic molecules.

                                                                                  Natural or not?

Researchers previously understood that lightning could help to clean the atmosphere, but there was not evidence that it could generate compounds like these radicals. And the data showed surprising spikes of up to 1,000 more hydroxyl radicals than the normal value. "No one has seen that much in the atmosphere from natural processes, ever," Brune said.

                                                                                 We see the light

As a result, the study estimates that somewhere between 2% and 16% of the cleaning that happens naturally in the Earth's atmosphere, is done by lightning.

Why is this significant? The cleaning process helps to reduce chemicals like carbon monoxide and methane in the atmosphere. These chemicals, known for being greenhouse gases, have been proven to contribute to rising temperatures associated with climate change.

The worlds atmosphere would be much hotter, dirtier and less healthy place if there were no Lightning!  Plants are also helped by lightning releasing nitrogen  from the air in a process called nitrogen fixation, this now usable nitrogen is washed into the soil by rainfall helping our plants to grow.

                               By chance, or engineered by a Creator?