Radiocarbon Production by Thunderstorms

In view of the neutron flux enhancements observed in thunderstorms, a contribution of thunderstorm neutrons to atmospheric radiocarbon (isotope C-14(6)) production is analyzed in connection with the archaeometry. Herein, estimates of neutron fluence per lightning electromagnetic pulse in regions with severe thunderstorm activity, at which a local rate of the C-14(6) production is comparable to the observed rates, are shown to be consistent with the measured magnitudes of thunderstorm neutron fluence. At present, available observations of atmospheric neutron and parent gamma ray flashes correlated with thunderstorms do not allow making final conclusions about thunderstorm contributions to C-14(6) production. For this, numerous studies of high-energy phenomena in thunderstorms are required, especially in the tropical belt where the thunderstorm activity is especially severe and where the C-14(6) production by galactic cosmic rays is almost independent of the solar activity disturbing the Earth's magnetic field shielding the Earth from cosmic rays.