The recent discovery that lightning discharges can cause energetic radiation, relativistic particles, and transient luminous events has marked a profound advance in our understanding of the Earth's atmospheric electrodynamic behaviour, and it has fundamental implications for research on extrasolar planets. This session explores these novel processes and their impact on the near-Earth environment and encourages their investigation in extrasolar and volcanic environments.

The session solicits contributions that advance knowledge in
the areas of the global atmospheric electric circuit, lightning physics, transient luminous events, energetic radiation, relativistic particles in various planetary environments and their impact on the Earth's upper atmosphere. Interdisciplinary studies which emphasise the connection
between atmospheric layers and the relation between lightning related effects and climate change are particularly welcome.