STEM与日常科技·英语30篇（5）
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STEM Light Read: Why Lightning Strikes Tall Trees But Splits Their Trunks (2026-D048)
STEM轻科普：为何闪电击中高树却使其树干开裂（2026-D048）
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Lightning seeks the fastest path to ground, so tall trees often become natural conductors during storms.
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When current enters bark, moisture instantly vaporizes, expanding steam faster than wood fibers can stretch.
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This explosive internal pressure splits trunks vertically, sometimes peeling bark off in long strips.
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Sapwood conducts better than heartwood, so current follows moisture-rich layers beneath the bark.
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Damage patterns reveal lightning’s path—even if no fire results, cells are permanently disrupted.
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Trees with deep roots and high sap content suffer more severe splitting than shallow-rooted species.
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Foresters use lightning scar mapping to assess forest resilience to increasing storm frequency.
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High-speed cameras capture discharges entering crowns and exiting roots in under 100 microseconds.
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Unlike metal rods, wood cannot safely channel gigavolt surges, making protection systems essential near structures.
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Each scar tells a story of physics meeting biology in a fraction of a second.