The problem is when lightning strikes the ocean fish do not die. We are wondering how they survive.

We used information from multiple organizations for our slideshow. All of this information was recorded on Google Slides and the dates for our research was written on Google Docs. 

Ancient Times

In the ancient times, the people thought that it was because of the gods from heaven. Benjamin Franklin knew that lightning produces electricity in the 1700s. To this day, it is unclear how he knew.

What Causes Lightning

Today, scientists are still trying to figure out how, but one of the ways they think it happens is:

• In the cloud, the small ice crystals gets pushed upward by wind and the bigger ice crystals fall downward by wind and gravity. 
• When the two crystals crash into each other, the smaller crystals become positively charged (loss of electrons)  and the bigger ice crystals become negatively charged (gain of electrons).
• Then the top of the cloud are positively charged and the base of the cloud are negatively charged. This is called an electric field.
• The negative and the positive charged field wants to meet with each other, but it is very difficult to move within a cloud. So, then a big electric discharge, lightning, is formed for the two fields to meet or return to neutral

Properties of Lightning

• Discharge of electricity
• Can heat the surrounding air to over 30,000 degrees celsius, hotter than the surface of the sun
• Can generate voltage of over 100 million volts
• Typical Intracloud lightning can travel to about 365,000,000 km/h
  • Takes about 3 seconds to travel from Calgary to Toronto
• Typical cloud to ground lightning can travel to about 300,000 km/h
  • Takes about 41 seconds to travel from Calgary to Toronto
  • Air acts like an insulator and slows down the speed of cloud to ground lightning

What happens when lightning strikes...

• A tree
  • It heats the water and sap inside, generating steam and causing the tree to explode
• Humans/Mammals/Birds/Fish
  • Heart stop, Muscle injuries, Damage to brain and nervous system, Death
• So we know lightning is fast, powerful and very destructive and we know a typical fish has no protection against lightning. So how do fish around the world survive lightning?

What happens when lightning strikes...

• The Ocean
  • Salt water is a great conductor, electricity can easily travels in it
  • When lightning strikes, the electricity will spread or dissipates over the surface of the water
  • This is because conductor keeps electricity travels at its surface
  • So the ocean acts similar to the Faraday Cage and protects the fish who lives underneath the surface
• A River/Lake (Fresh water)
  • River/Lake also contains minerals and ions like the ocean
  • So, electricity is also spread over the surface of the water, protecting the fish that live underneath the surface
• Pure Water
  • With no ions in the water, distilled water does not conduct electricity (insulator)
  • So, lightning will likely strike other places where electricity is better conducted
  • There are no natural bodies of pure water in the world discovered yet

 

Faraday Cage

The Faraday Cage was invented in 1836 by Michael Faraday. The cage is made of conductive metal to keep you from getting electrocuted. The lightning will only travel along the edge of the cage, keeping objects inside safe from lightning. This concept is being used to build safer homes by using lightning rods.

What can we learn from the fish when lighting strikes

• Do not stay on the surface of the water
• Go very deep in water and don’t come to the surface until the storm is over
  • Scientists are not sure how deep lightning will travel
• Surround yourself with an insulator, distilled water

But then, since.....

We are not fish so we cannot hold our breath for very long, you should always check the forecast before going out. This way, since our homes have lightning rods you can be protected because of the Faraday Cage concept.

 

This is a non-experimental project so no data is anailable. All relevant information and data is in the research section.

When lightning strikes, the reason fish stay alive is because the ocean protects them. The fish themselves will die, but like we explained earlier the ocean has the same effect as the Faraday Cage. The ocean allows the lightning to travel along the surface of the water. That means our hypothesis was correct.

 

Alabama Cooperative Extension System. “Caring for Lightning-Struck Trees - Alabama Cooperative Extension System.” Alabama Cooperative Extension System, 22 June 2023, www.aces.edu/blog/topics/forestry/caring-for-lightning-struck-trees

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Britannica Kids. “Lightning”.  Encyclopedia Britannica. https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/lightning/390250

Buckley, Ollie. “Tree Explodes ‘into a Million Pieces’ as It’s Struck by Huge Lightning Bolt.” The Mirror, 14 Mar. 2021, www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/moment-huge-lightning-bolt-strikes-23714591

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). “How lightning works”. Government of Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/lightning/science/how-lightning-works.html

Gabriel, Angeli. “What Happens When Someone Is Struck by Lightning.” FOX Weather, 7 Mar. 2022, www.foxweather.com/learn/what-happens-when-someone-is-struck-by-lightning

Kid Encyclopedia Facts. “Faraday cage facts for kids”. Kiddle encyclopedia. https://kids.kiddle.co/Faraday_cage

O’Callaghan, Jonathan. “What Is a Faraday Cage?” livescience.com, 3 Dec. 2021, www.livescience.com/what-is-a-faraday-cage.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration “A lightning Primer”. Lightning & Atmospheric Electricity Research. https://lightning.nsstc.nasa.gov/primer/

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National Severe Storms Laboratory. “Severe Weather 101 – Lightning”. U.S. Department of Commerce – National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. https://www.nssl.noaa.gov/education/svrwx101/lightning/

National Severe Storms Laboratory. “Severe Weather 101 – Lightning FAQ”. U.S. Department of Commerce – National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. https://www.nssl.noaa.gov/education/svrwx101/lightning/faq/

National Severe Storms Laboratory. “Severe Weather 101 – Lightning Types”. U.S. Department of Commerce – National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. https://www.nssl.noaa.gov/education/svrwx101/lightning/types/

National Weather Service “Lightning and Cars”. U.S. Department of Commerce – National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. https://www.weather.gov/safety/lightning-cars

National Weather Service “Lightning and Fish”. U.S. Department of Commerce – National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration.  https://www.weather.gov/safety/lightning-fish

National Weather Service “Lightning Myths”. U.S. Department of Commerce – National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. https://www.weather.gov/safety/lightning-myths

 

Science Learning Hub. “Lightning explained”. New Zealand Government. https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/239-lightning-explained

Sottile, Zoe. “How to survive a lightning strike – or, better yet, avoid one”. CNN Travel. https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/lightning-strike-how-to-survive/index.html

The Economic Times.  “Do fish die when lightning strikes the ocean?” India Times. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/do-fish-die-when-lightning-strikes-the-ocean/articleshow/15700931.cms

“What happens to the Human Body When it's Struck by Lightning?” Atrium Health. 26 June 2019, https://atriumhealth.org/dailydose/2019/06/26/what-happens-to-the-body-when-its-struck-by-lightning

“When Lightning Strikes”. Ocean Today. https://oceantoday.noaa.gov/lightning/

“When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors:” Lightning Safety Advice from NOAA. U.S. Department of Commerce. https://www.commerce.gov/news/blog/2022/08/when-thunder-roars-go-indoors-lightning-safety-advice-noaa

123RF. “Greek Gods Ancient Religion Greece History Zeus Athena Poseidon Character Isolated Cartoon Mythology Goddess Vector Illustration

Greek Goddess Ancient Mythology and Religion in Greece.” 123RF, www.123rf.com/clipart-vector/cartoon_zeus.html.

                   Real-Time System Demand. www.enmax.com/generation-wires/real-time-system-demand.

                 Contributor, Statoil. “Can We Harvest Lightning for the Power Grid?” Forbes, 28 Jan. 2015, www.forbes.com/sites/statoil/2015/01/28/can-we-harvest-lightning-for-the-power-grid/?sh=6409111c1e6c.

 

 

 

 

We would like to say thank you to all of pur parents who helped us with our slideshow and presentation. Also, to our science fair coordinators who not only held science fair in their rooms, they also answered all our questions.