Abstract

It is not easy to predict atmospheric phenomena such as lightning in the medium and long term. However, based on the experience acquired during more than 40 years of research on this phenomenon, the objective of this paper is to propose research topics on lightning that could be addressed in the coming decades to provide scientific answers and lay the foundations for technological innovations, currently unknown but that, with continuous, systematic, and rigorous work, will arrive. The future of lightning research could focus on four major topics: lightning in the intertropical zone, prediction, protection, and cloud-to-ionosphere lightning. Significant advances have currently been made in these areas, but it is necessary to delve deeper into them and work collaboratively with aerospace agencies such as NASA, the European Union, and global research groups that have already achieved excellent results in scientific interpretation and technological innovation.

Keywords

lightning prediction, lightning protection, cloud-ionosphere lightning