"Exhaust from the diesel engines that propel ships can trigger strong thunderstorms, scientists have found. There is twice as much lightning right above two heavily trafficked shipping channels in the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea than in nearby areas with similar climates, their study shows.

"Exhaust from the diesel engines that propel ships can trigger strong thunderstorms, scientists have found. There is twice as much lightning right above two heavily trafficked shipping channels in the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea than in nearby areas with similar climates, their study shows.

The research is important for understanding how manmade particle pollution can affect storms and lightning, as well as the planet’s climate.
[...]
Researchers hadn’t previously established a link between particle pollution and the frequency and intensity of thunderstorms. Filling in that gap in our understanding was critical because lightning kills people, damages structures, causes wildfires, and converts nitrogen to smog-producing nitrogen oxides."
https://spectrum.ieee.org/energywise/energy/environment/shipping-triggers-more-lightning