What are the forms of energy into which the electrical energy of the atmosphere is dissipated during a lightning?
(Hint: The earth has an electric field of about 100 Vm1 at its surface in the downward direction, corresponding to a surface charge density = -10-9 Cm-2. Due to the slight conductivity of the atmosphere upto about 50 km (beyond which it is good conductor), about +1800 C is pumped every second into the earth as a whole. The earth, however, does hot get discharged since thunderstorms and lightening occurring continually all over the globe pump an equal amount of negative charge on the earth).
