Reduction in Global Lightning Activity During the COVID Pandemic

Abstract

The effect of anthropogenic aerosols on lightning is one of the least understood aspects of human‐induced climate change. Global aerosol clearly diminished during the COVID pandemic by 7.6%. A pronounceddecrease in global lightning activity in the range 3.0%–5.8% is identified from various detection systems duringthis natural experiment. The Maritime Continent lightning chimney shows the largest reduction of 7.0% inaerosol accompanied by a lightning drop of 15%. The COVID period in 2020 also experiences a transition frompre‐COVID El Niño to a strong and sustained La Niña. Compensation for ENSO forcing of lightning activity isimplemented to disclose the distinct responses of three global lightning chimneys to competing thermodynamicand aerosol effects. Our observational findings indicate a marked influence of aerosol on a global scale by virtueof the extraordinary COVID‐induced aerosol alteration.