Recent studies have unveiled significant findings regarding gamma-ray emissions during tropical thunderstorms, including long-duration gamma-ray glows and a newly identified phenomenon called flickering gamma-ray flashes (FGFs).

A research team from the University of Bergen in Norway conducted ten flights over storms in the Caribbean and Central America using a modified high-altitude NASA ER-2 aircraft.

During these flights, researchers observed gamma-ray emissions in nine out of ten storms, with glows lasting for hours and covering extensive areas.

The team detected around 500 glows and 130 terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs), revealing that these emissions are more prevalent than previously understood.

Principal investigator Nikolai Østgaard had anticipated either no TGFs or many, ultimately observing 130 during their flights, which exceeded expectations.

Equipped with advanced sensors, the aircraft transmitted data in real time, allowing researchers to focus on areas exhibiting high gamma-ray activity.

The study identified over 100 TGFs that were too weak to be detected from the ground, suggesting a higher lightning ratio than previously established.

The first study described the gamma-ray emissions as resembling a 'giant boiling pot' in both appearance and behavior, challenging previous theories on lightning initiation.

The research rules out alternative mechanisms like cosmic rays for lightning initiation, proposing positron feedback as a more viable explanation.

Despite the presence of gamma radiation, the levels observed are not harmful to people or aircraft, which typically avoid flying through active thunderstorm cores due to turbulence.

Published in Nature on October 2, 2024, these findings have been described as 'game-changers' for the field by physicist Joseph Dwyer from the University of New Hampshire.

Future ER-2 flights may further uncover the mechanisms behind gamma radiation in storms, as scientists continue to explore the complex dynamics of thunderclouds.