Correlation of local lightning activity with extra low frequency detector for Schumann Resonance measurements

Tatsis, Giorgos; Sakkas, A.; Christofilakis, Vasilis; Baldoumas, G.; Chronopoulos, Spyridon K.; Paschalidou, Anastasia Κ.; Kassomenos, Pavlos; Petrou, Ilias; Kostarakis, P.; Repapis, C. C.; Tritakis, V.

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147671

Cited by 10 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…The effect of local lightning activity, appearing as very strong intensifications in the dynamic spectrum of both magnetic field components, is clearly visible between 14 and 17 UT. After 17 UT, strong intensifications appearing as individual (distinguishable) vertical lines are probably connected to regional lightning activity (Tatsis et al, 2021). Nevertheless, the dynamic spectra show clear signatures of the SR in the morning which again confirms desirable ELF noise conditions at the test site.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 61%

ELF field measurements near Hortobágy and Magyargencs

Bozóki¹,

Bór²,

Novák³

et al. 2021

GOR

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Extremely low frequency (ELF) field measurements were organized near Hortobágy in 2019 and near Magyargencs in 2020 to survey the observability of Schumann resonances (SR) and properties of the ELF noise environment in the magnetic field in Hungary. The measurements serve our aim to find an appropriate location for a new permanent magnetic SR station. The location of the second test site (near Magyargencs) was selected on the base of experience we gathered from reprocessing high frequency magnetotelluric (MT) measurements in Hungary. Initial evaluation of the field measurements confirmed that it is not easy, but possible to find places of such low ELF noise levels in Hungary, which are suitable for monitoring SR.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 61%

ELF field measurements near Hortobágy and Magyargencs

Bozóki¹,

Bór²,

Novák³

et al. 2021

GOR

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“…SR measurements can easily be affected (contaminated) by different local noise processes (with natural and artificial origin), such as local lightning, wind, human activity, etc. (see e.g., Tatsis et al, 2021;Tritakis et al, 2021). In order to further improve the quality of the results a manual data sanitization step has been carried out before calculating the monthly averaged intensities.…”

Section: Sr Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Solar Cycle-Modulated Deformation of the Earth–Ionosphere Cavity

et al. 2021

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The Earth–ionosphere cavity resonator is occupied primarily by the electromagnetic radiation of lightning below 100 Hz. The phenomenon is known as Schumann resonances (SR). SR intensity is an excellent indicator of lightning activity and its distribution on global scales. However, long-term measurements from high latitude SR stations revealed a pronounced in-phase solar cycle modulation of SR intensity seemingly contradicting optical observations of lightning from satellite, which do not show any significant solar cycle variation in the intensity and spatial distribution of lightning activity on the global scale. The solar cycle-modulated local deformation of the Earth–ionosphere cavity by the ionization of energetic electron precipitation (EEP) has been suggested as a possible phenomenon that may account for the observed long-term modulation of SR intensity. Precipitating electrons in the energy range of 1–300 keV can affect the Earth–ionosphere cavity resonator in the altitude range of about 70–110 km and modify the SR intensities. However, until now there was no direct evidence documented in the literature supporting this suggestion. In this paper we present long-term SR intensity records from eight stations, each equipped with a pair of induction coil magnetometers: five high latitude (|lat| > 60°), two mid-high latitude (50° < |lat| < 60°) and one low latitude (|lat| < 30°). These long-term, ground-based SR intensity records are compared on the annual and interannual timescales with the fluxes of precipitating 30–300 keV medium energy electrons provided by the POES NOAA-15 satellite and on the daily timescale with electron precipitation events identified using a SuperDARN radar in Antarctica. The long-term variation of the Earth–ionosphere waveguide’s effective height, as inferred from its cutoff frequency, is independently analyzed based on spectra recorded by the DEMETER satellite. It is shown that to account for all our observations one needs to consider both the effect of solar X-rays and EEP which modify the quality factor of the cavity and deform it dominantly over low- and high latitudes, respectively. Our results suggest that SR measurements should be considered as an alternative tool for collecting information about and thus monitoring changes in the ionization state of the lower ionosphere associated with EEP.

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“…This method estimates the PSD by dividing the data into overlapping segments, determining the PSD of each segment and averaging them. First, spikes larger than 100 pT (in absolute value) were replaced by nans (“not a number”‐s) in the time domain to minimize the aliasing effect of regional lightning activity (Tatsis et al., 2021) and exceptionally intense lightning strokes known as Q‐bursts (Guha et al., 2017). PSD spectrograms (dynamic spectra) were calculated with a window length (depending on the sampling frequency of the actual station) corresponding to ∼0.1 Hz frequency resolution and a half‐window‐length overlap.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Day‐To‐Day Quantification of Changes in Global Lightning Activity Based on Schumann Resonances

et al. 2023

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The importance of lightning has long been recognized from the point of view of climate-related phenomena. However, the detailed investigation of lightning on global scales is currently hindered by the incomplete and spatially uneven detection efficiency of ground-based global lightning detection networks and by the restricted spatio-temporal coverage of satellite observations. We are developing different methods for investigating global lightning activity based on Schumann resonance (SR) measurements. SRs are global electromagnetic resonances of the Earth-ionosphere cavity maintained by the vertical component of lightning. Since charge separation in thunderstorms is gravity-driven, charge is typically separated vertically in thunderclouds, so every lightning flash contributes to the measured SR field. This circumstance makes SR measurements very suitable for climate-related investigations. In this study, 19 days of global lightning activity in January 2019 are analyzed based on SR intensity records from 18 SR stations and the results are compared with independent lightning observations provided by ground-based (WWLLN, GLD360, and ENTLN) and satellite-based (GLM, LIS/OTD) global lightning detection. Daily average SR intensity records from different stations exhibit strong similarity in the investigated time interval. The inferred intensity of global lightning activity varies by a factor of 2-3 on the time scale of 3-5 days which we attribute to continental-scale temperature changes related to cold air outbreaks from polar regions. While our results demonstrate that the SR phenomenon is a powerful tool to investigate global lightning, it is also clear that currently available technology limits the detailed quantitative evaluation of lightning activity on continental scales. Plain Language SummaryLightning is recognized as a climate variable indicating the changing climate of the Earth. Surface temperature changes on the order of 1°C can result in a significant change in lightning frequency. Lightning activity is monitored on a global scale by satellites and by ground-based global lightning detection networks. However, the detection efficiency of these available technologies is limited which restricts the investigation of global lightning activity especially on the day-to-day time scale. In this study, we propose an alternative method to monitor day-to-day changes in global lightning activity based on Schumann resonance measurements and thus we compare SR-based observations with available global lightning monitoring techniques. We show that the overall intensity of global lightning activity can vary considerably (by a factor of 2-3) within a few days, further motivating our efforts to monitor such changes and understand BOZÓKI ET AL.

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Correlation of local lightning activity with extra low frequency detector for Schumann Resonance measurements

Cited by 10 publications

References 19 publications

ELF field measurements near Hortobágy and Magyargencs

ELF field measurements near Hortobágy and Magyargencs

Solar Cycle-Modulated Deformation of the Earth–Ionosphere Cavity

Day‐To‐Day Quantification of Changes in Global Lightning Activity Based on Schumann Resonances

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