We present the results based on long-term continuous Schumann-resonance measurements at the Lehta station. Diurnal and seasonal variations in the peak frequencies and intensities of the first three modes of the electric-and magnetic-field components are obtained. The experimental results are compared with the two-component model of thunderstorm activity and the model constructed with the use of the Optical Transient Detector data.
A technique is applied to experimental Schumann resonance intensity that separates the universal (UT) and local time (LT) variations. Two orthogonal horizontal magnetic field components were recorded simultaneously at the observatories of Moshiri, Japan (44.4°N, 142.2°E), Lehta, Russia (64.4°N, 34°E), and West Greenwich, Rhode Island, United States (41.6°N, 71.6°W). We use the cumulative magnetic field power integrated over the first three Schumann resonance modes. Diurnal variations were averaged over a month for the period from August 1999 to December 2001 at each site. These records were combined to obtain estimates for the UT daily patterns of the global thunderstorm activity. Diurnal variations of particular months repeat year after year, indicating that space‐time distributions of global thunderstorms are annually replicated with minor deviations. Another technique, based on geometric averaging of records, was used to obtain alternative estimates of the global thunderstorm intensity. Results acquired with both techniques showed an outstanding similarity.
The results of two-year monitoring of the Schumann-resonance signals are processed and the diurnal and seasonal variations in the activity of the global thunderstorm centers are estimated. We calculate the field in the model of thunderstorm activity localized in a small circular area (the model of a single source). Comparison between the experimental and model data allowed us to find the position of the maximum of the global thunderstorm activity. It is shown that a more exact interpretation of the experimental data is achieved if additional background radiation, which remains approximately constant during a day and is approximately equal to the intensity of a compact source, is included into the model.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.