The Andes Mountains surround the lake on three sides, leaving an opening only in the north. The mysterious "Relmpago del Catatumbo" (Catatumbo lightning) is a unique natural phenomenon in the world. Catatumbo Lightning is sometimes referred to as Venezuela's "eternal thunderstorm," or the . Subscribe today for ourWeekly Newsletterin your inbox! What if it were an almost daily occurrence that surprised no one. Even though previously the mountain village of Kifuka in the Democratic Republic of Congo in Central Africa was know to be the most electric place on Earth, with 158 lightning flashes per square kilometer each year, the Catatumbo lightning has surpassed this figure with 250 lightning flashes per square kilometer each year. Image credit: Jose Pestana via, Here's What Those Freaky "Geese Teeth" Really Are, Whales Are Dying Along The East Coast Of America And Researchers Aren't Sure Why, Bizarre Worm Blobs Thrive In The Depths Of Sewers And Toxic Caves, People Are Not Happy After Learning How Parmesan Cheese Is Made, Oral Sex Is Now The Leading Risk Factor For Throat Cancer, A Rock Climber Survived An "Unsurvivable" Fall And Scientists Think They Know How, People Are Just Now Learning How The "I Am Not A Robot" Captcha Test Actually Works, Netflix Finally Says When It Will Stop Password Sharing Around The World, This Small, Vibrating Bracelet Might Change Your Life, Don't Travel Without These CES-Featured Translation Earbuds, Stay Warm in a Blackout with this CES-Featured Power Station, From Dragons To Mythic Locations, These Are The Biggest Mistakes In Ancient Maps, The Ancient Persians Built Windmills Over 1,000 Years Ago That Still Work Today, A Day In The Life Of An Ancient Egyptian Doctor. An everlasting lightning storm that rages 260 days a year in the If you're not faint of heart, you should know about the Maracaibo beacon. Regardless of whether Venezuela's eternal storm lasts for the rest of eternity, it's already made a significant impact on the world. It struck me like a bolt of lightning!This phrase and others like it refer to the sudden, unpredictable and powerful forcethat is a lightning bolt, a somewhat rare and awe-inspiring site. Although lightning can strike anywhere on the surface of the earth, there are environmental factors that make some areas more prone to lightning strikes than others. km every single year. It is critical for maintaining species diversity, regulating climate, and providing numerous ecosystem functions. Catatumbo lightning interesting facts 2022 The origin of the Catatumbo Lightning is unknown. Image credit: Fernando Flores via flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 cropped. [5][18][12], A 2016 study showed that it is possible to forecast lightning in the Lake Maracaibo basin up to a few months in advance, based in the variability of the Lake Maracaibo Low-Level Jet and its interactions with predictable climate modes like the ENSO and the Caribbean Low-Level Jet. 9 Dazzling Facts about the Catatumbo Lighting - Mental Floss However, certain seasonal- scale drivers are taken into accountin order to predict the measure of moisture that it will transport. The second- and third-most electric locales in the world are Kabare and Kampene, two towns in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. [2] It originates from a mass of storm clouds at an altitude of more than 1km (0.6mi), and occurs for 140 to 160 nights a year, nine hours per day, and with lightning flashes from 16 to 40 times per minute. On average, electrical storms occur 260 nights appear per year, predominantly between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m. Massive thunderstorms strike the region about 260 nights each year. It's been coined the "lightning capital of the world" by NASA, and as you might expect, it can be a dangerous place. #fca_qc_quiz_63124.fca_qc_quiz button.fca_qc_next_question { Catatumbo means "House of Thunder" in the language of the Bari people. El Nio weather patterns result in drier weather and less moisture being transported. The moisture in the warm air condenses into water droplets and continues to rise, leading the cloud tokeep growing heavier. color: #151515; A lot of people die each year, ngel G. Muoz, a physicist and researcher at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), toldNASA. The turbulence that comes with the collision of warm and cool air is critical to the formation of a storm cloud. Processes occurring deep within Earth constantly are shaping landforms. How well do you understand the article above! Each year, over 1.2 million lightning bolts are confined to the mouth of the Catatumbo River - the single highest concentration of lightning in the world. Catatumbo lightning - Smartencyclopedia Muoz, .G., Daz-Lobatn, J., 2011: "The Catatumbo Lightnings: A review", Memoirs of the XIV International Conference on Atmospheric Electricity. This means that whenever you This has been going on for centuries; Lake Maracaibo is an ancient lake, one of Earth's oldest. The Catatumbo lightning has been observed for centuries over Lake Maracaibo. These massive thunderstorms contain a strong, persistent . From polar vortexes to hurricanes that strikeNew York City in autumn to droughts that never seem to end, no one in the worldtruly seems to know what's happening with the weather. The Strange Tale of SS Warrimoo, the Ship That Existed in Two Centuries at Once, Beltane Is About More Than Fire and Fertility, Almost 300 nights a year, a lightning storm rages in a small part of Venezuela. What on Earth is going on? A mountain face or the collision of warm and cool masses may contribute to the same effect. Rather, during the first four months of 2010, lightning activity ceasedcompletely, possibly due to drought that overtook the region. You got {{SCORE_CORRECT}} out of {{SCORE_TOTAL}}. All Rights Reserved. We can't keep all that lighting in a bottle, so here are 10 essential facts about the astounding phenomenon. "A lot of people die each year," ngel G. Muoz, a physicist and researcher. It occurs only over the mouth of the Catatumbo River where it empties into Lake Maracaibo. " In 2014, Guinness World Records gave the Catatumbo lightning the award for the highest concentration of lightning in the world. Later, scientists suggested the air above Lake Maracaibo had enhanced conductivity because of methane from oilfields below. Nevertheless, the fishermen and other workers have to continue to do their jobs in dangerous conditions. The Guardian. [10], Between 1997 and 2000, a series of four studies proposed that the methane produced by the swamps and the massive oil deposits in the area were a major cause of the phenomenon. Water droplets in the humid, warm air and ice crystals in the cool air collide to create static charges strong enough to light up 100 million light bulbs. 7 Incredible Natural Phenomena you've never seen - Oddee Furthermore, it should be noted that this lightning is also unique in that it occurs in the ozone of the troposphere instead of from typical storm clouds. It originates from a mass of storm clouds at a height of more than 1 km, and occurs during 140 to 160 nights a year, 10 hours per day and up to 280 times . doi:10.1016/j.atmosres.2015.12.018. Having irregularities like that in the terrain can help generate wind patterns and heating or cooling patterns that would boost the likelihood of thunderstorms.. } This used to be one of the top oil producers in the world, Daz-Lobatn said. Until a few years ago, the village of traditional stilt houses was where tourists gathered to see the Catatumbo lighting. [11] The methane model is based on the symmetry properties of methane. Subscribe 6.1K views 10 months ago Lake Maracaibo is famous for Catatumbo lightning, the intense lightning shows that appear nearly every night. Albrecht, R., et al., 2011. Known as Relmpago del Catatumbo, the storm is located where the Catatumbo River flows into Lake Maracaibo. Lake Maracaibo basin is surrounded by mountains that trap warm winds coming off the Caribbean Sea. The extreme heat emanated by a flash of lightning can make the surrounding air up to five times hotter than the surface of the sun. Smithsonian, Venezuela's Mysterious Catatumbo Lightning . ABC News, BBC - Earth - The most electric place on Earth - www.bbc.com, The Maracaibo Beacon | Earthdata - NASA. Catatumbo Lightning doesn't actually fire nonstop, but for at least a few centuries, it has occurred around 150 times per year in Venezuela. 12 p. En. The oil industry could delay or reschedule their work. Known as. The locals that live in the region in palafitos (tin, one-room shacks) and the fishermen supported by the lake call it the river of fire. Lake Maracaibo, lightning capital of the world - Phys.org Muoz, .G., Nez, A., Chourio, X., Daz-Lobatn, J., Mrquez, R., Moretto, P., Jurez, M., Casanova, V., Quintero, A., Zurita, D., Colmenares, V., Vargas, L., Salcedo, M.L., Padrn, R., Contreras, L., Parra, H., Vaughan, C., Smith, D., 2015: Reporte Final de la Expedicin Catatumbo: Abril 2015. Water droplets in the rising humid air may also collide with ice in the cold air to create a static charge. Whether you are a scientist, an educator, a student, or are just interested in learning more about NASAs Earth science data and how to use them, we have the resources to help. The high strike rates of lightning over Lake Maracaibo earned it a position in the Guinness Book of World Records for the highest recorded concentration of lightning". Columbia University, Phenomenal: A Hesitant Adventurer's Search for Wonder in the Natural World, Venezuela: The Bradt Travel Guide (Bradt Travel Guides), Nature is a Powerhouse of Electricity! Get information and guides to help you find and use NASA Earth science data, services, and tools. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Centro de Modelado Cientfico. } Previously, methane and uranium deposits below the lakes surface were believed to fuel the conductivity of the air above it. Catatumbo 'Everlasting' Lightning It occurs over the mouth of the Catatumbo River, emptying into Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela, South America. It is most active in the months of September and October, and least active in January and February. Why Do People Indulge In Extreme And Dangerous Sports? Its the frequency and concentration of the so-called Relmpago del Catatumbo that is weird. [23], Some authors have misinterpreted a reference to a glow in the night sky in Lope de Vega's description in his epic, "La Dragontea" of the attack against San Juan de Puerto Rico by Sir Francis Drake as an early literary allusion to the lightning (since in another verse the poet does mention Maracaibo), but it was actually a reference to the glow produced by burning ships during the battle. Weather in San Diego: Climate, Seasons, and Average Monthly Temperature, Your Trip to Costa Rica: The Complete Guide. ], he wrote in Personal Narrative of a Journey to the Equinoctial Regions of the New Continent (translated from Spanish). Can Newborn Babies Swim Better Than Adults? Can We Predict Lightning? - Scientific American The cryosphere plays a critical role in regulating climate and sea levels. The storms are at their most spectacular at the peak of the wet season around October, and ease off in the drier months of January and February. In the 1960s, it was believed that the high volumes of uranium deposits in the bedrock of the region could attract lightning strikes to the lake. Codazzi, an Italian adventurer, geographer, and cartographer, moved to Venezuela following its independence from the Spanish Empire. You actually dont feel fear, said Joaqun Daz-Lobatn, a physicist and researcher at the Centro de Modelado Cientfico at Universidad del Zulia in Venezuela. Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. Albrecht, R., S. Goodman, D. Buechler, R. Blakeslee, and H. Christian. The high frequency of both in-cloud (purple) and cloud-to-ground (yellow) lightning strikes generated three Dangerous Thunderstorm Alerts. background-color: #dbdbdb; Atmospheric Research. Reporte Pblico CMC-01-2015. In the past, people attributed Catatumbo lightning to the action of uranium in the bedrock, methane released by the surrounding swamps, or the massive oil deposits of Lake Maracaibo. Relmpagos del Catatumbo regeneran la capa de ozono? "Draught Extinguishes Venezuela's Lightning Phenomenon." It has now been termed by NASA the Lightning Hotspot of the world. These people, the forgotten people, are frequently getting struck by lightning, Muoz said. Wings of phosphorescent pink unfold to illuminate Lake Maracaibo, a brackish bay that opens north to the Caribbean Sea. Known as Catatumbo lightning or the beacon of Maracaibo, the electrifying natural phenomenon does not mess around, striking constantly for around half of the days in a year. Sip creative cocktails in the former vault of the Riggs Bank. Around the world, lightning is forecast only a few hours, and at best, days in advance. [6][3][7], Catatumbo lightning usually develops between .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}830N 710W / 8.500N 71.000W / 8.500; -71.000 (Approximate outer limit) and 945N 730W / 9.750N 73.000W / 9.750; -73.000 (Approximate outer limit), toward the west of Lake Maracaibo. NASA Global HHydrometeorology Resource Center Distributed Active Archive Center (GHRC DAAC), Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM). But the most likely explanation lies in the mechanics of wind and the unique topographic conditions of the region, specially at the lakes southern confluence with the Catatumbo River. The land surface discipline includes research into areas such as shrinking forests, warming land, and eroding soils. atatumbo lightning - The most electric place on Earth Why Is Biodiversity Critical To Life On Earth? Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) Science Data. #fca_qc_quiz_63124.fca_qc_quiz div.fca_qc_question_response_item p { The Bari people believe that it is caused by hundreds of supernatural fireflies, while the Wayuu people consider it the work of the souls of the deceased. Brazil. So the researchers needed a seasonal-scale equivalent of the low-level jet. Researchers stalk seasonal lightning in the most struck place on Earth. It occurs only over the mouth of the Catatumbo River where it empties into Lake Maracaibo. Data set available online (ftp://ghrc.nsstc.nasa.gov/pub/lis/climatology) from NASA's Global Hydrometeorology Resource Center (GHRC) DAAC, Huntsville, AL, U.S.A. doi:10.5067/LIS/LIS-OTD/DATA311. Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. What Factors Make Catatumbo Lightning Unique? #fca_qc_quiz_63124.fca_qc_quiz div.fca_qc_question_response_item.correct-answer { Scientists now say the regions unique topography and wind patterns contribute to the unique phenomenon. The exact reason for such high electrical activity in the region is not yet known. #fca_qc_quiz_63124.fca_qc_quiz button.fca_qc_button:hover { ScienceABC participates in the Amazon background-color: #FFFFFF; Political disorder and the recent, depressed oil market has slowed production, but at its height 90 percent of Venezuelas economy came from oil. price. Maracaibo 102pp. The Truth About Venezuela's Catatumbo Lightning - Grunge It occurs over and around Lake Maracaibo, typically over the bog area . With an average of 28 strikes per minute over seven to eight hours on a river of fire night when the Beacon of Maracaibo is firing, it can transform nighttime into daytime. Ten minutes of Catatumbo Lightning could illuminate all of South America. Muoz, . G., Daz-Lobatn, J., Chourio, X., & Stock, M. J. "In Venezuela, nature's most electrifying lightning show", "Phenomena A science salon hosted by National Geographic Magazine", http://cmc.org.ve/portal/archivo.php?archivo=241, "Where are the lightning hotspots on Earth? } © 2023 IFLScience. Old Faithful is a geyser that goes off, well, faithfully. For example, it ceased from January to March 2010, apparently due to drought, leading to speculation that it might have been extinguished permanently. This amazing spectacle of nature is often visible as a brightly illuminated night sky from as far away as 400 kilometers from the origin of the lightning strikes. However the Wari, an . Catatumbo means "House of Thunder" in the language of the Bari people. Thunderstorm is one of the most dangerous and spectacular atmospheric phenomena, which still harbors many mysteries. Scientists believe the storm, which occurs approximately three miles above the surface of the water, is caused by a mix of cold and warm air currents that occurs exactly where the lightning forms.
Jersey Shore Cast Do Coke,
What Does Hoodie Mean In Slang,
Car Accident Figueroa Los Angeles,
Carlos Loret De Mola Net Worth,
Is Vrbo Trip Protection Worth It,
Articles I
