Scientists in Siberia invent a lightning rod

Scientists from the Russian city of Irkutsk in eastern Siberia have invented a lightning detector.

This invention will enable scientists to locate forest fires that occurred due to thunderstorms.
Researchers at the Russian “Irkutsk” University for Scientific Research developed the lightning detector in cooperation with the Institute of Sun and Earth Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, within the framework of the “Digital Baikal” project, which aims to establish a unified system to monitor the environment of Lake Baikal and its surrounding areas.

This was reported by IrkutskMedia news agency, citing the press service of the local government.

The Acting Minister of Forestry in the Irkutsk provincial government, Eduard Filippov, said: “The activation of this special system for recording lightning strikes will allow the detection of forest fires that occurred as a result of the outbreak of thunderstorms quickly and determine the locations of their origin. This information will be taken into account during the adjustment of air patrol routes, which will allow the detection of fires Forests are in their early stages and urgent measures must be taken to neutralize and extinguish them.”

The lightning detection system records the electromagnetic radiation of lightning charges. Currently, a network of stations with receivers is being formed at 4 sites near Lake Baikal, namely: the Geophysical Observatory of the Institute of Sun and Earth Physics in the village of (Turi) in the Russian Republic of Buryatia, the Baikal Astrophysical Observatory in the village of (Listvyanka), the magnetic observatory on the island (Olkhon) and the city of Bratsk.

At recording points, the direction to lightning, the time and specification of the signal is measured. The measurement results for each category are sent to the data collection and processing center, where their coordinates and specifications are calculated. As a result, the time of lightning occurrence, its geographic coordinates, possible error in calculating the coordinates, and the intensity of the electrical component of the field (the strength and direction of the electric current) are determined.