Lightning can produce from 2 – 16% of the amount of hydroxyl. The hydroxyl radical is important in the atmosphere because it triggers chemical reactions and breaks down air pollutant molecules like methane. Decomposition of atmospheric pollutants Lightning may play a bigger role than we thought in a fundamental process that helps clean our air of pollutants, according to the results of a new study. Lightning strikes during storms produce large amounts of molecules called oxidizing radicals, which can break down gases such as carbon monoxide and methane in the atmosphere. These are atmospheric pollutants that can contribute to global warming and damage to the ozone layer. Carbon monoxide and methane enter the atmosphere from both natural and industrial sources. Methane is produced by the decomposition of plants, but is also released by oil and gas development and agriculture. Carbon monoxide and other polluting hydrocarbons can be generated by industries and wildfires. However, natural processes in the atmosphere, driven mainly by sunlight, have produced molecules called radicals, the most important of which are hydroxyls. These molecules are very chemically active (meaning that they are more likely to react with other molecules) and can react with pollutants to form new compounds that are harmless or potentially harmful. can be easily attached to water and released into the air. New research led by Pennsylvania State University meteorology professor William Brune has found that lightning produces far more hydroxyl molecules than previously known. His work shows that more than 10% of the supply of these scavenging radicals in the atmosphere can be generated by lightning storms. Use an airplane to fly through the storm Lightning’s ability to clean the atmosphere. The work involved flying NASA’s DC-8 research plane through deep convection thunderstorms to collect data. According to Professor Brune, this is not as dangerous as one might think. “Very interesting indeed. The pilots are phenomenal. They know what they’re doing. They know how to keep planes safe. But it’s really interesting because you can see deep convection and this is very close and personal,” said Prof. Brune. “We did this study in 2012, flying over central China. America and try to see what’s going into the storm chemically, what’s going to come up above. And to our surprise, we saw a very large amount of OHs (hydroxyl molecules). At first, we did not believe the signals received. They are huge, a thousand times larger than the largest mass we have ever seen.” The data collected from the aircraft was compared with data collected from radio receivers on the ground that track lightning flashes in the clouds. Both data sets confirmed the production of high amounts of hydroxyl radicals due to lightning strikes. Hydroxyl radicals are produced when the energy of lightning strikes breaks down water vapor in the atmosphere. “You can think of it like water that has removed the hydrogen atom and then wants to get that hydrogen back. So it becomes very active as it goes and tries to get the hydrogen back,” he said. That means the hydroxyl radical is very reactive with methane or carbon monoxide molecules. Climate change models need to be updated According to the scientists, about 1,800 lightning storms circulate around the planet, which leads the researchers to estimate that this phenomenon produces between 2% and 16% of the amount of hydroxyl present in the atmosphere.

A single lightning bolt can release up to a billion volts, tens of thousands of amps, travel at more than 434,000 km/h and in just a few millionths of a second reach 30,000 degrees Celsius – hotter than the surface of the Sun. Professor Brune admits that it is difficult to gauge the effectiveness of this process on a global scale. The results of this study were based on a limited number of flights over a small portion of the United States. There is still a lot of information that needs to be gathered to create a global picture. However, Professor Brune believes that the hydroxyl generated by lightning has a significant worldwide impact. Previous models suggested that lightning was not a significant contributor to the clean-up of the atmosphere. “Our best estimate right now is from 2%, which is quite important, to more than 10%, which is very important, for the total cleanup of the atmosphere. These estimates may change as our planet warms. Some climate change models show an increase in thunderstorm activity, which means more hydroxyl production and more cleaning of the atmosphere in the future. Other climate models suggest that there may not be much lightning, but lightning strikes will be more intense and may also alter the numbers. In any case, future models of climate change and global pollution will have to take into account this new information about the cleaning of the atmosphere, according to Professor Brune. Existing models may need updating.

Virtual life and death! Recently on many travel forums, the story of a tourist posting photos of starfish dying dry due to being taken ashore to take pictures of “virtual life” in Rach Vem, Phu Quoc has attracted a lot of attention. Most of the comments are outraged by the ignorant actions of some young people that lead to the undue death of the marine species that is the symbol of this sea. Getting starfish ashore has become a “habit” of some tourists. On websites, many accounts constantly share check-in pictures of celebrities who use starfish as virtual living tools without knowing that just a few dozen seconds from the water surface, the starfish will die now. Prof. Dr. Do Cong Thung, Chairman of the Scientific Council of the Institute of Marine Resources and Environment, said that starfish breathe through the legs and papillae (tiny particles spread all over the body). These tubular legs and papillae are equipped with a very thin layer of tissue, allowing gases to pass easily, whether inhaling oxygen (O2) or exhaling carbon dioxide (CO2), in a process known as is diffuse. Unlike fish with only two gills, the starfish is covered with papillae throughout the body. In other words, their “noses” or “gills” are scattered all over the body surface. When not in water, starfish not only cannot absorb the necessary oxygen. Therefore, they cannot remove carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide (CO) from the body. This leads to carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide poisoning and causes death. Most starfish can only hold their breath for less than 30 seconds. Sea stars, sea cucumbers and corals, are naturally born with fragile, fragile creatures. Just a light touch can hurt them. The act of bringing them out of the water is a brutal act of killing this endemic aquatic species. “When taken out of the water, starfish will die within about a minute. The act of catching starfish out of the water to take pictures is very dangerous. It threatens the life of this species. Beaches with starfish need to give warnings, otherwise starfish species will be in danger of scarcity and extinction, losing the value of marine habitat “, Prof.Dr Do Cong Thung said. And Mr. Nguyen Linh Ngoc, a marine conservation expert in Phu Quoc, said that many tourists take starfish out of the water to take pictures, then drop them right away. But when left in the sun on the shore, they die quickly. Starfish have no economic value like sea cucumber or seahorse. Starfish are normal seafood objects. It is not an ecological indicator animal of little scientific value. It is a crustacean that no one eats because it doesn’t have meat. Tourists like mainly the shape it looks like a star. In terms of marine conservation, there is also no regulation prohibiting the exploitation of starfish because this species is not included in the conservation list. But starfish create beautiful scenery for the marine environment, attracting huge visitors. Therefore, the protection of starfish mainly depends on the awareness of visitors as well as reminders of the resorts. An important role in the ecosystem Vietnam has 60 different species of starfish distributed along the coast from North to South, Nha Trang Bay alone has discovered 20 species belonging to 16 genera, 11 families and 4 orders. In Cat Ba, Hai Phong, a starfish beach with an area of ​​up to 5 hectares is home to shallow trench starfish and deep-trench starfish with a high density of about 20 individuals / m2. Starfish food is fish, snails, clams, squid, shrimp and other molluscs. Some starfish species have the ability to turn their stomachs out to cover large foods and then digest themselves outside of their bodies. Vietnam has species such as starfish, blue starfish, pillow starfish, crunchy starfish … Each different species has a certain role, contributing to the general ecosystem, especially creating continuity in the chain. Food that once this food chain is destroyed will have a little or no impact on an entire ecosystem. Mr. Le Chien, Head of Sasa Marine Life Rescue Center, said that touching, holding, touching and catching starfish and sea creatures ashore is extremely offensive. It is being strongly condemned in many countries around the world. When people touch marine organisms, bacteria and chemicals from sunscreen, soap … on their hands can attack directly on their soft tissue. Organisms that have never been exposed and that do not have immune systems to bacteria from humans will be severely affected, even if they may not die immediately. In addition, starfish are only capable of sun exposure for a certain period of time, so bringing them ashore is extremely dangerous. In addition, not all marine life is harmless to humans. If you touch the wrong starfish species, people can be burned, shocked and killed. Not to mention there are many other toxic species such as snail. This job is also playing with their lives and loved ones. Prof.Dr Do Cong Thung said, starfish is a key species (keystone species) in the ecosystem. They are omnivores that feed mainly on scavengers, molluscs, small fish, algae or organic residues. There are more than 1,900 species of starfish around the world, living in all depths of the oceans. They play a very important role in the organic circulation, operating the ecosystem in which they exist. Therefore, the absence or degradation of starfish can lead to the collapse of the marine ecosystem.

Technician places the MOXIE device inside the Perseverance vessel in the laboratory in Pasadena, California, USA, March 2019. (Photo: AFP / VNA) After the Ingenuity mini helicopter made history by successfully making its first flight on another planet (Mars) a few days ago, the US Aviation and Space Agency’s Perseverance expedition ship ( NASA) continues to make a spectacular new mark when it first created oxygen on the “Red Planet.” NASA’s announcement on April 21 states that the Perseverance explorer has made history by successfully converting carbon dioxide from the Martian atmosphere into oxygen. This is the first time creating oxygen is done on another planet. “This is the first important step in converting carbon dioxide (CO2) into oxygen on Mars,” said Jim Reuter, NASA’s space technology mission executive vice president. The Mars experiment using local oxygen resources, called MOXIE, is a device the size of an automobile battery and is located inside, in front of the right side of the Perseverance. The device uses electrochemical methods to split carbon dioxide molecules, made up of one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms, and produces a carbon monoxide by-product. Manufactured by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), MOXIE is made of a heat-resistant material like a nickel alloy and is designed to withstand extreme temperatures up to 800 degrees Celsius. The device is coated with a thin layer of gold. so as not to radiate heat and harm the Perseverance vessel. On the first test run, MOXIE generated 5.4 grams of oxygen – enough for an astronaut to breathe easily for 10 minutes while still performing normal activities. Engineers will conduct more tests and find ways to increase oxygen production. By design, MOXIE can generate 10 grams of oxygen per hour. “MOXIE has a lot to do, but the results from this technology demonstration are promising as we move towards our goal of one day seeing humans on Mars,” said Jim Reuter. Tests for MOXIE will be divided into three phases. The first stage is to test and characterize the equipment. Stage two will evaluate the performance of MOXIE under a variety of atmospheric conditions. In the final phase, researchers will step up the operation of the equipment, which includes testing new operating modes or adding functionality. NASA expects the development of experimental instruments not only to help generate oxygen for astronauts in the future, but also to help generate large amounts of oxygen to be used as rocket launchers for the return journey. Not transported from Earth. According to MIT engineer Michael Hecht, a one-ton version of MOXIE can generate about 25 tons of oxygen needed for a rocket to take off from Mars. Production of oxygen from the atmosphere is 96% carbon dioxide’s Mars It may be a more viable option than extracting subsurface magnetic ice and electrolysis to produce oxygen. Ms. Trudy Kortes – Technology Demonstration Director NASA “MOXIE is not only the first instrument of oxygen production in another world, but the first technology of its kind that helps future missions use elements of another world environment, also known as on-premises resource use. ” Expedition ship Perseverance landed on Mars on February 18, on a mission to search for signs of microbial life on the “Red Planet.” In the coming years, the Perseverance ship aims to collect 30 soil and rock samples to send back to Earth (estimated around 2030) for analysis.