Lightning: Estimates of the rates of energy dissipation and nitrogen fixation

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Abstract
The global rate of production of atmospheric NO is given by the product of the lightning energy dissipation rate and the NO yield per joule of discharge. A value for the global average energy dissipation rate is derived from the energy per flash and the global average flash rate; the latter is determined from satellite observations. The energy per flash determined from the optical measurements is in excellent agreement with that determined from measurements of electrical field changes; both give 4 × 108 J per flash. For a global flash rate of 100 s−1, the global average energy dissipation rate is estimated to be 4 × 1010 W; however, the uncertainty in this parameter is approximately a factor of 3. The NO yield is estimated to be (9 ± 2) × 1016 molecules/J, a value in good agreement with numerous other theoretically and experimentally derived yields. The production of NO from lightning is thus estimated to be 2.6 × 109 kg N yr−1 with a range caused by uncertainties of (0.8–8) × 109 kg N yr−1. Although lightning is a small source of fixed nitrogen to the biosphere, it appears to represent a major source of atmospheric NO to the remote troposphere.

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