Flash and Fire: Pioneering Research Into the Volcanic Lightning Phenomenon

Muller investigates why are many volcanic eruptions accompanied by lightning and gives a front-row seat into the function and beauty of thrilling lightning show. Recent eruptions have led to a number of spectacular photographs being posted online. This online documentation, combined with the advent of lightning detection networks and weather radar, has meant that volcanic lightning is now receiving more media and scientific attention than ever before. This article follows one interdisciplinary strand of the recent spate of volcanic lightning research; at its center is Steve McNutt, a volcano seismologist at the University of Alaska and Alaska Volcano Observatory. His efforts are bringing together a combination of unprecedented remotely sensed observations, careful examination of information gleaned from more than 200 reported cases of volcanic lightning, and theoretical considerations at the interface of both volcanology and meteorology, to generate new insights into an old phenomenon.