Thunderbolts and lightning, very, very frightening? With Ian Jandrell
Channel: Science and Cocktails Johannesburg
Date: 2018-01-15

Science & Cocktails Johannesburg
Date: 25 April 2017
Speaker: Ian Jandrell (University of the Witwatersrand)

Thunderbolts and lightning, very, very frightening?
Investigating and understanding lightning

 Why do we get lightning? Does lightning strike the same place twice? Does Johannesburg have the most lightning in the world? Are we, in fact, getting more lightning?

How does lightning injure, or even kill people, and what can we do about it?

Lightning is an impressive and dramatic phenomenon. But the form it takes is determined by a process that is not visible to the human eye. In this episode of Science & Cocktails Johannesburg, Ian Jandrell will make the invisible visible by explaining why, and how, lightning forms, and why objects on the ground actually attract lightning.

Prof. Jandrell will explain the leader mechanism of breakdown in air and show some remarkable images of lightning formation. He will also describe the six mechanisms of lightning injury – two of which have a very close association with research undertaken in South Africa since 2000. During this evening's presentation, we will also have an opportunity to review the very latest data from the South African Lightning Detection Network (SALDN) and find out what it tells us about lightning activity over the subcontinental region. 


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