What is the purpose of lightning? That might sound like a deeply philosophical question, but scientists may have shed some more light on the answer with the results of a recently released study.

　　閃電的功能是什么?聽(tīng)上去可能像是一個(gè)深刻的哲學(xué)問(wèn)題，但是科學(xué)家最近發(fā)布的一項(xiàng)研究結(jié)果也許能對(duì)這一問(wèn)題的答案帶來(lái)一些啟示。

　　The new study published at the end of April in Science found that lightning may play a bigger role in global climate change than was previously known by the scientific community. "Lightning increases the atmosphere's ability to cleanse itself," the researchers wrote in the study.

　　這項(xiàng)四月末發(fā)表在《科學(xué)》雜志上的新研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，閃電對(duì)全球氣候變化的影響力可能比科學(xué)界先前所了解的更大。研究人員在報(bào)告中寫(xiě)道：“閃電會(huì)提高大氣自我凈化的能力。”

　　Many are familiar with the potentially deadly hazards posed by lightning, which is blamed for an average of 43 fatalities in the United States each year, based on data from 1989 to 2018. Although the odds of being struck are quite low -- 1 in 1,222,000 in a given year and 1 in 15,300 in a lifetime -- many in the weather community have long urged people to take proper precautions to stay safe amid storms, which can frequently trigger lightning, even without turning severe.

　　許多人對(duì)閃電潛在的致命危害很熟悉，基于1989年到2018年的數(shù)據(jù)，美國(guó)每年平均有43人因閃電而喪生。盡管被閃電擊中的概率相當(dāng)?shù)�，一年被閃電擊中的概率只有122.2萬(wàn)分之一，一輩子的概率只有15300分之一，但是長(zhǎng)久以來(lái)氣象界一直敦促人們?cè)诒┯陙?lái)臨時(shí)采取適當(dāng)?shù)姆婪洞胧┮员ＷC安全，暴雨經(jīng)常會(huì)引發(fā)閃電，即使不是強(qiáng)暴雨也可能出現(xiàn)閃電。

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　　However, the researchers recently uncovered a surprising and beneficial impact of lightning.

　　然而，研究人員最近發(fā)現(xiàn)了閃電的一個(gè)驚人的有益影響。

　　The Earth is struck by lightning nearly 20 million times each year, and bolts of lightning can travel as much as 10 to 12 miles from a thunderstorm, instantly heating the air to 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the National Weather Service.

　　根據(jù)美國(guó)國(guó)家氣象局的數(shù)據(jù)，地球上每年發(fā)生的閃電次數(shù)可達(dá)近2000萬(wàn)次，雷雨過(guò)程中閃電可行進(jìn)10到12英里(16到19公里)，瞬間讓空氣升溫華氏5萬(wàn)度。

　　The study, which included contributions from nine atmospheric researchers across a dozen universities and meteorological agencies, was based on an airborne research flight conducted by a NASA DC-8 storm-chasing plane in 2012. The plane was used to examine the top portion of thunderstorm clouds, which are known as anvils.

　　這項(xiàng)綜合了12所大學(xué)和氣象機(jī)構(gòu)的9位氣象研究員的成果的研究基于2012年美國(guó)宇航局DC-8風(fēng)暴追逐機(jī)開(kāi)展的一項(xiàng)空中飛行實(shí)驗(yàn)。這架飛機(jī)用于查看雷暴云頂層的砧狀云。

　　According to Dr. William Brune, a professor of meteorology and atmospheric sciences at Pennsylvania State University and co-author of the study, researchers initially thought there was a problem with the equipment on the plane, which was being used to measure the hydroxyl radicals (OH) in the atmosphere until they realized spikes they observed corresponded with lightning flashes, ABC News reported.

　　據(jù)ABC新聞網(wǎng)報(bào)道，該研究的合著者、賓夕法尼亞州立大學(xué)的氣象學(xué)和大氣學(xué)教授威廉·布龍博士稱(chēng)，研究人員一開(kāi)始認(rèn)為飛機(jī)上用來(lái)測(cè)量大氣中的羥基自由基的設(shè)備有問(wèn)題，直到他們觀察到羥基自由基水平的飆升和閃電有關(guān)。

　　Hydroxyl radicals, described as a "chemical scavenger" by Science Direct, are important chemical compounds found in the atmosphere due to the reactive nature with other organic molecules.

　　被Science Direct數(shù)據(jù)庫(kù)描述為“化學(xué)清洗劑”的羥基自由基是大氣中發(fā)現(xiàn)的重要化合物，可以和其他有機(jī)分子發(fā)生反應(yīng)。

　　Researchers previously understood that lightning could help to clean the atmosphere, but there was no evidence that it could generate compounds like these radicals.

　　研究人員先前了解到，閃電可以有助于清潔大氣，但是沒(méi)有證據(jù)表明閃電可以產(chǎn)生羥基自由基這樣的化合物。

　　"No one has seen that much in the atmosphere from natural processes, ever," Brune said.

　　布龍表示：“從來(lái)沒(méi)有人見(jiàn)過(guò)大氣自然產(chǎn)生這么多羥基自由基�！�

　　As a result, the study estimates that somewhere between 2% and 16% of the oxidizing, or cleaning that happens naturally in the Earth's atmosphere, is done by lightning.

　　因此，研究估計(jì)，地球大氣中自然發(fā)生的氧化或清潔有2%到16%是由閃電完成的。

　　Why is this significant? The oxidation process helps to reduce chemicals like carbon monoxide and methane in the atmosphere. These chemicals, known for being greenhouse gases, have been proven to contribute to rising temperatures associated with climate change.

　　為什么大氣中的氧化很重要?因?yàn)檠趸�過(guò)程有助于降低大氣中一氧化碳和甲烷等化學(xué)物質(zhì)含量。經(jīng)證實(shí)，這些被稱(chēng)為溫室氣體的化學(xué)物質(zhì)導(dǎo)致氣溫升高，而氣溫升高和氣候變化有關(guān)。

　　Researchers say that more studies will need to be conducted to verify the degree to which lightning contributes to the fight against global climate change.

　　研究人員表示，還需要開(kāi)展更多研究，才能確定閃電對(duì)于抗擊全球氣候變化的貢獻(xiàn)程度。

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