Researchers Capture Electrical Signals on North Carolina Trees
A study confirms a 70-year-old hypothesis regarding electrical discharges on tree leaves during thunderstorms.
Updated on Oct. 31, 2026 in Botany
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On June 27, 2024, researchers in North Carolina recorded 952 electrical discharges on trees during a thunderstorm. The study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, marks the first time this phenomenon has been confirmed after being suspected for 70 years.
Why it matters
Understanding how trees interact with electrical fields helps scientists explain how leaf orientation and hydraulic conductance influence corona discharges. These findings provide insight into how plants manage energy during intense weather events.
The team detected 859 signals on a sweetgum tree and 93 on a loblolly pine using an ultraviolet camera sensitive to wavelengths between 255 and 273 nanometres. Individual discharges can emit up to one trillion ultraviolet photons per video frame.
The players
Geophysical Research Letters
This is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes high-impact, short-format reports on major advances in all Earth and space sciences.
The details
Using a Corona Observing Telescope System mounted inside a research vehicle, the team identified electrical activity by synchronizing camera footage with GPS, weather, and electrical field data. Observations occurred across a range spanning from Florida to Pennsylvania to verify the occurrences.
Timeline
Researchers observed the electrical activity in North Carolina on June 27, 2024.
The Big Picture
This study confirms the 70-year-old hypothesis regarding corona discharges on vegetation, effectively closing a long-standing gap in botanical electrical research. By bridging the gap between atmospheric electricity and plant physiology, these findings unlock new research into how vegetation influences electric fields.
This research provides a fundamental understanding of how trees interact with atmospheric electricity, which may eventually improve models for forest fire risk and lightning protection. Future work aims to quantify how this repetitive electrical exposure impacts long-term tree health.
The takeaway
This discovery validates that trees actively participate in electrical atmospheric processes during storms. Researchers now intend to map how different tree species vary in their intensity of electrical response during these events.
Further reading
For more on plant physiology and atmospheric interactions, visit the North Carolina Botany section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Times of India.
Live Poll
Does this discovery change how you perceive the electrical risks of trees during thunderstorm weather?
