Characteristics of Cloud-to-Ground Lightning in Chinese Inland Plateau.

Abstract

Characteristics of cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flashes in the Chinese inland plateau have been analyzed by using the data obtained from a broadband slow antenna system, with a time resolution of 1 microsecond in 1996, and a CG lightning location network from 1997 to 1998. It has been found that lightning discharges in a plateau summer thunderstorm usually present some special characteristics compared with the typical summer thunderstorm. On the average, positive CG flashes comprised 16% of total CG flashes in the Chinese inland plateau. After comparison with radar echo, it is found that some weak thunderstorms are conducive to positive CG flashes. The first return strokes are usually preceded by a long duration preliminary breakdown process which is characterized by discrete bipolar pulses for both positive and negative CG flashes. The mean duration of electric field change prior to first return stroke is about 126.1 ms, in which 23% exceeds 200 ms for negative CG flashes, and the corresponding value is 165.1 ms for positive CG flashes. The mean interval between 152 successive analyzed pulses is 211:0 G 148:0 ms, and the total duration of the pulses is 32:0 G 20:0 ms for negative CG flashes, while the mean time interval between the 50 analyzed pulses is 165:0 G 120:0 ms and the total duration of pulses is 27:0 G 19:0 ms for positive CG flashes. Other discharge features, such as interstroke intervals, amplitude distribution of the subsequent return strokes and etc., are also analyzed in the paper.

Physical and observable characteristics of cloud‐to‐ground lightning over the Pearl River Delta region of South China

“…Also, we found that the percentage of +CG lightning (P (+)) for the observation areas close to the sea (8.6-11.9%) was higher than for those far from the sea (6.5-8.0%). Compared with the P (+) in Tibetan Plateau (16%) [Qie et al, 2002], Lanzhou (9.2%) [Qie et al, 1991], and Beijing (10.9%) [Zhang et al, 2010] in the northern part of China, or in the Japan sea coast in winter (50-60%) [Hojo et al, 1989], the P (+) in the PRD region was lower. The high percentage (>90%) of ÀCG lightning suggests that the thunderstorm cloud structure in the PRD region was dipolar (the top and bottom of the thunderstorm clouds were mainly of positive charge and negative charge).…”

“…Lightning characteristics had been studied in Beijing, Tibet Plateau, and Guangdong [Chen et al, 2004;Qie et al, 1991Qie et al, , 2002. Both natural lightning and artificial-triggered lightning had been used to study the physical processes of lightning and electric charge structure of thunderstorm [Lü et al, 2012;Qie et al, 2006Qie et al, , 2009Zhang et al, 2014].…”

Characteristics of positive cloud‐to‐ground lightning in Da Hinggan Ling forest region at relatively high latitude, northeastern China

“…The average pulse width and pulse separation were 18 μs and 54 μs, respectively. Their pulse train usually lasted 1 ms, and AM value of PBP-RS interval was 12 ms. Qie et al [2002] analyzed the PBP trains of positive flashes in Chinese inland plateau and found that the time interval for 50 pulses was 165.0 ± 120.0 μs, pulse widths were 27.0 ± 19.0 μs, and PBP-RS separation was Figure 6a and projections of charge centers. The return strokes were marked as solid black diamonds, and the continuing current was marked as white circles.…”

Characteristics of lightning-generated electric fields measured in the Bogotá Savanna, Colombia

“…With respect to negative CG lightnings, the percentage of the single-stroke flashes (SSF) was about 38%, which is a high value in comparison with other tropical and subtropical regions such as Sri Lanka (21%) [20], Florida (17%) [21], Malaysia (16%) [22] and Brazil (17%) [23]. This value can be related with the altitude of Bogotá (mountainous region) taking into account that a previous study performed in Zhongchuan, China (1900 meters above sea level) reported a percentage of 39.8% in the SSF [5], very similar to the value obtained in Bogotá .…”

“…This pulse train is known as the preliminary breakdown (PB) and its features have been analyzed in different regions of the world [5]- [10]. The PB is produced inside the cloud by a vertical discharge between the negative charge packet and the lower positive charge packet [4], [8].…”