According to NASA, the energy released during just 10 minutes of Catatumbo lightning could illuminate the whole of South America. To compute monthly lightning patterns in the Maracaibo Basin, the scientists used the LIS Science Data set. Venezuelan environmentalist Erik Quiroga suggested to the BBC that ozone generated by Catatumbo lightning could replenish the ozone layer. No purchase necessary. } More recently, the documentary Once Upon a Time in Venezuela, about the town of Congo Mirador, premiered at Sundance and served as the Venezuelan representative for the 2021 Oscars. Subscribe 6.1K views 10 months ago Lake Maracaibo is famous for Catatumbo lightning, the intense lightning shows that appear nearly every night. In early 2010, news spread that the Catatumbo lightning had vanished, causing significant unrest among the locals in the region, and also triggering scientists to wonder as to the reason for the disappearance of the lightning. Catatumbo lightning (Spanish: Relmpago del Catatumbo) is an atmospheric phenomenon in Venezuela. According to NASA,lightning strikes the roughly 100-square-mile area about 28 times a minute over the course of nine hours. What on Earth is going on? The phenomenon is driven by the interaction of a multitude of factors: local and seasonal drivers of climate. The current is called the Maracaibo Basin Nocturnal Low-Level Jet. You actually dont feel fear.. [24], Coordinates: 92039N 714238W / 9.34417N 71.71056W / 9.34417; -71.71056 (Approximate center). There are two well-known spots that mark this remarkable incidence: the southwest region of the lake and the Colombia- Venezuela border. He concluded that the lightning has several epicenters in the marshes of Juan Manuel de Aguas National Park, Claras Aguas Negras, and western Lake Maracaibo. Catatumbo 'Everlasting' Lightning It occurs over the mouth of the Catatumbo River, emptying into Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela, South America. background-color: #abdc8c; Two years ago, Venezuela entered the Guinness Book of World Records for the most lightning strikes per hour, bumping the Congolese town of Kifuka out of the top spot. It occurs only over the mouth of the Catatumbo River where it empties into Lake Maracaibo. border: #151515 2px solid; It sees 250 lightning flashes per square kilometer every year, amounting to about 1.6 million bolts annually. Cumulonimbus clouds may develop as large individual towers, with water droplets at lower elevations and ice crystals and extremely low temperatures at higher ones. Suspended over the mouth of the Catatumbo River, which locals call the river of fire, this strobe light brightens night into day. There are around 20,000 fishers in the region, many of which live in tin shacks, and contributing to their protection was a strong motivation for researchers trying to better predict when the Catatumbo lightning might strike. The air current is driven into a narrow ridge made by the mountain ridges that are on three sides of Lake Maracaibo. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Colombia, relacin geogrfica, topogrfica, agrcola, "Fogonazos: Catatumbo, the everlasting storm", "Eternal Thunder: This Place in Venezuela Has the Highest Concentration of Lightning Strikes in the World", "Drought extinguishes Venezuela's lightning phenomenon", "Venezuela's Mysterious Catatumbo Lightning Phenomenon Vanishes for Months, Then Reappears".
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