A fifth‐power relationship for lightning activity from Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite observations

Yoshida, Shigeaki; Morimoto, Takeshi; Ushio, Tomoo; Kawasaki, Zen‐Ichiro

doi:10.1029/2008jd010370

Cited by 69 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Especially the ice and graupel volume mass seem to be crucial parameters for the flash length that may be generated and produce LNO x . Recently, Yoshida et al (2009) reported on a clear relationship between the cold-cloud depth (distance between the melting level and the storm height) and the flash rate. In addition, we suggest that the cold-cloud width (impacted by the vertical wind shear) is important to take into account because it affects the flash length and therefore also the total LNO x production.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

NO<sub>x</sub> production by lightning in Hector: first airborne measurements during SCOUT-O3/ACTIVE

et al. 2009

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Abstract. During the SCOUT-O3/ACTIVE field phase in November–December 2005, airborne in situ measurements were performed inside and in the vicinity of thunderstorms over northern Australia with several research aircraft (German Falcon, Russian M55 Geophysica, and British Dornier-228. Here a case study from 19 November is presented in detail on the basis of airborne trace gas measurements (NO, NOy, CO, O3) and stroke measurements from the German LIghtning Location NETwork (LINET), set up in the vicinity of Darwin during the field campaign. The anvil outflow from three different types of thunderstorms was probed by the Falcon aircraft: (1) a continental thunderstorm developing in a tropical airmass near Darwin, (2) a mesoscale convective system (MCS), known as Hector, developing within the tropical maritime continent (Tiwi Islands), and (3) a continental thunderstorm developing in a subtropical airmass ~200 km south of Darwin. For the first time detailed measurements of NO were performed in the Hector outflow. The highest NO mixing ratios were observed in Hector with peaks up to 7 nmol mol−1 in the main anvil outflow at ~11.5–12.5 km altitude. The mean NOx (=NO+NO2) mixing ratios during these penetrations (~100 km width) varied between 2.2 and 2.5 nmol mol−1. The NOx contribution from the boundary layer (BL), transported upward with the convection, to total anvil-NOx was found to be minor (<10%). On the basis of Falcon measurements, the mass flux of lightning-produced NOx (LNOx) in the well-developed Hector system was estimated to 0.6–0.7 kg(N) s−1. The highest average stroke rate of the probed thunderstorms was observed in the Hector system with 0.2 strokes s−1 (here only strokes with peak currents ≥10 kA contributing to LNOx were considered). The LNOx mass flux and the stroke rate were combined to estimate the LNOx production rate in the different thunderstorm types. For a better comparison with other studies, LINET strokes were scaled with Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) flashes. The LNOx production rate per LIS flash was estimated to 4.1–4.8 kg(N) for the well-developed Hector system, and to 5.4 and 1.7 kg(N) for the continental thunderstorms developing in subtropical and tropical airmasses, respectively. If we assume, that these different types of thunderstorms are typical thunderstorms globally (LIS flash rate ~44 s−1), the annual global LNOx production rate based on Hector would be ~5.7–6.6 Tg(N) a−1 and based on the continental thunderstorms developing in subtropical and tropical airmasses ~7.6 and ~2.4 Tg(N) a−1, respectively. The latter thunderstorm type produced much less LNOx per flash compared to the subtropical and Hector thunderstorms, which may be caused by the shorter mean flash component length observed in this storm. It is suggested that the vertical wind shear influences the horizontal extension of the charged layers, which seems to play an important role for the flash lengths that may originate. In addition, the horizontal dimension of the anvil outflow and the cell organisation within the thunderstorm system are probably important parameters influencing flash length and hence LNOx production per flash.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

NO<sub>x</sub> production by lightning in Hector: first airborne measurements during SCOUT-O3/ACTIVE

et al. 2009

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“…Flash rates are correlated with numerous meteorological variables, including surface temperature [Price, 1993;Williams and Stanfill, 2002;Markson, 2007], convective available potential energy (CAPE) [Rutledge et al, 1992], cloud top height [Price and Rind, 1992;Price et al, 1997], cold-cloud depth [Futyan and Del Genio, 2007;Yoshida et al, 2009], convective precipitation [Meijer et al, 2001], upper tropospheric convective mass flux , integrated convective mass flux [Deierling et al, 2005], updraft vertical velocity or volume Barthe et al, 2010], precipitation ice mass, path, or flux Barthe et al, 2010], and aerosol concentration [Michalon et al, 1999;Andreae et al, 2004;Altaratz et al, 2010;Yuan et al, 2011].…”

Section: Appendix A: Lightning Parameterizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sensitivity of tropical tropospheric composition to lightning NO_x production as determined by replay simulations with GEOS‐5

2015

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The sensitivity of tropical tropospheric composition to the source strength of nitrogen oxides (NO x ) produced by lightning (LNO x ) is analyzed for September through November 2007 using the NASA GEOS-5 model constrained by MERRA fields, with full GMI stratospheric-tropospheric chemistry and an LNO x algorithm that is appropriate for use in a climate modeling setting; satellite retrievals from OMI, TES, and OMI/MLS; and in situ measurements from SHADOZ ozonesondes. Global mean LNO x production rates of 0 to 492 mol NO flash À1 and the subsequent responses of NO x , ozone (O 3 ), hydroxyl radical (OH), nitric acid (HNO 3 ), peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN), and NO y (NO x + HNO 3 + PAN) are investigated. The radiative implications associated with LNO x -induced changes in tropospheric O 3 are assessed. Increasing the LNO x production rate by a factor of 4 (from 123 to 492 mol flash À1) leads to tropical upper tropospheric enhancements of greater than 100% in NO x , OH, HNO 3 , and PAN. This increase in LNO x production also leads to O 3 enhancements of up to 60%, which subsequently yields a factor-of-three increase in the mean net radiative flux at the tropopause. An LNO x source of 246 mol flash À1 agrees reasonably well with measurements, with an approximate factor-of-two uncertainty due to the short length of the study, inconsistencies in the observational data sets, and systematic biases in modeled LNO x production. Further research into the regional dependencies of lightning flash rates and LNO x production per flash, along with improvements in satellite retrievals, should help resolve the discrepancies that currently exist between the model and observations.

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“…This relationship is based on scaling arguments previously derived by Vonnegut (1963) and simplified by Williams (1985), where the authors assume that the magnitude of the updraft is positively correlated to the cloud top height. A fifth power relationship to the storm cloud depth was also reported by Yoshida et al (2009), andBoccippio et al (2002) showed that the flash rate-updraft relationship suggests a higher power. Petersen et al (2005) found a linear relationship between total lightning flash rate and ice water path, independent of the regime (land, ocean or coastal zones).…”

Section: Cloud Electrification: Total Flash Estimated From Ice Mass Fmentioning

confidence: 59%

Effect of bacterial ice nuclei on the frequency and intensity of lightning activity inferred by the BRAMS model

Gonçalves¹,

Martins

Albrecht

et al. 2012

Atmos. Chem. Phys.

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Abstract. Many studies from the last decades have shown that airborne microorganisms can be intrinsically linked to atmospheric processes. Certain bacteria may constitute the most active ice nuclei found in the atmosphere and might have some influence on the formation of ice crystals in clouds. This study deals with the ice nucleation activity of Pseudomonas syringae inside of thunderstorms through numerical simulations using BRAMS (Brazilian Regional Atmospheric Model System). The numerical simulations were developed in order to investigate the effect on the total amount of rainwater as a function of ice nuclei (IN) P. syringae concentrations with different scenarios (classified as S2 to S4 scenarios) corresponding to a maximum of 102 to 104 IN bacteria per liter of cloud water plus the BRAMS default (classified as S5 scenario). Additionally, two other scenarios were included without any IN (S1) and the sum of RAMS default and S4 scenario (classified as S6). The chosen radiosonde data is for 3 March 2003, typical summertime in São Paulo City which presents a strong convective cell. The objective of the simulations was to analyze the effect of the IN concentrations on the BRAMS modeled cloud properties and precipitation. The simulated electrification of the cloud permitted analysis of the total flashes estimated from precipitable and non-precipitable ice mass fluxes in two different lightning frequencies. Among all scenarios, only S4 and S6 presented a tendency to decrease the total cloud water, and all bacteria scenarios presented a tendency to decrease the total amount of rain (−8%), corroborating other reports in the literature. All bacteria scenarios also present higher precipitable ice concentrations compared to S5 scenario, the RAMS default. The main results present the total flash number per simulation as well. From the results, the total flash numbers, from both lightning frequencies, in S4 and S6 scenarios, are from 3.1 to 3.7 higher than the BRAMS default. Even the lower bacterial concentrations (scenarios S2 and S3) produced 3 time higher number of flashes, compared to S5 scenario. This result is a function of the hydrometeors in each simulation. In conclusion, IN bacteria could affect directly the thunderstorm structure and lightning formation with many other microphysical implications.

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A fifth‐power relationship for lightning activity from Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite observations

Cited by 69 publications

References 38 publications

NO<sub>x</sub> production by lightning in Hector: first airborne measurements during SCOUT-O3/ACTIVE

NO<sub>x</sub> production by lightning in Hector: first airborne measurements during SCOUT-O3/ACTIVE

Sensitivity of tropical tropospheric composition to lightning NO_x production as determined by replay simulations with GEOS‐5

Effect of bacterial ice nuclei on the frequency and intensity of lightning activity inferred by the BRAMS model

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A fifth‐power relationship for lightning activity from Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite observations

Cited by 69 publications

References 38 publications

NO&lt;sub&gt;x&lt;/sub&gt; production by lightning in Hector: first airborne measurements during SCOUT-O3/ACTIVE

NO&lt;sub&gt;x&lt;/sub&gt; production by lightning in Hector: first airborne measurements during SCOUT-O3/ACTIVE

Sensitivity of tropical tropospheric composition to lightning NOx production as determined by replay simulations with GEOS‐5

Effect of bacterial ice nuclei on the frequency and intensity of lightning activity inferred by the BRAMS model

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Resources

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NO<sub>x</sub> production by lightning in Hector: first airborne measurements during SCOUT-O3/ACTIVE

NO<sub>x</sub> production by lightning in Hector: first airborne measurements during SCOUT-O3/ACTIVE

Sensitivity of tropical tropospheric composition to lightning NO_x production as determined by replay simulations with GEOS‐5