The ecology of lightning strikes: How many trees in tropical forests killed by lightning?

Tropical forests are among the most important and diverse ecosystems on Earth, but recent research indicates increasing tree mortality, weakening their role as carbon sinks (Brienen, 2015). Understanding the drivers of tree death is essential. Lightning, which is strongest and most frequent in the tropics (Cecil, 2014), is a known cause (Mäkelä, 2009; Yanoviak, 2020). With climate change, strikes are expected to become more powerful and frequent. If all trees struck by lightning died, it would significantly impact forest dynamics, yet no direct measurements exist on lightning-induced tree mortality in the tropics.
Project Aims & Methods
This research will integrate proprietary remotely sensed lightning data from Vaisala with key environmental metrics to investigate the impact of lightning in tropical forests. The study will address the following research questions:
- How do historic and contemporaneous climate measures mediate lightning mortality risk?
- What impact does land use have on lightning occurrence?
- How does lightning influence tropical forest ecology and carbon balance?
- How does lightning impact soils around struck trees, and can historic strikes be detected?
To support and expand remote sensing observations and pilot work conducted on UK soils, fieldwork in Ankasa, Ghana, will be carried out. This will involve the collection of soil samples and forest structure data to assess the influence of lightning on tree mortality, soil properties, and broader ecosystem dynamics. The study will combine geospatial analysis, environmental modeling, and on-site validation to improve understanding of how lightning shapes tropical forests. The findings will contribute to broader discussions on climate change, forest resilience, and carbon cycling in the tropics.