North Carolina Trees Emit Electric Glows During Thunderstorms
Researchers from Penn State have documented a natural phenomenon known as corona discharge during thunderstorms in North Carolina. This event involves faint electrical pulses forming at the tips of tree leaves, causing them to emit a subtle glow in the ultraviolet (UV) range. The team, led by Patrick McFarland, observed these discharges on a sweetgum tree and a loblolly pine during a two-hour storm. This marks the first confirmed detection of corona discharges in a natural setting, a phenomenon previously only theorized. The findings, published in Geophysical Research Letters, suggest that these discharges occur due to strong electrical imbalances during storms, where negative charges in thunderclouds attract positive charges on the ground, which then travel upward through trees. 
