Lightning as a space‐weather hazard: UK thunderstorm activity modulated by the passage of the heliospheric current sheet

Owens, M. J.; Scott, Chris J.; Bennett, Alec; Thomas, Sharyn; Lockwood, Mike; Harrison, Giles; Lam, Mai Mai

doi:10.1002/2015gl066802

Cited by 24 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…These changes in lightning occurrence may be related to interannual climate variability. in the solar flux that could influence atmospheric electricity (Okike and Umahi, 2019;Owens et al, 2015;Siingh et al, 2011), a longer timeseries of lightning energy observations would be necessary to confirm this relationship.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The WGLC global gridded lightning climatology and timeseries

Kaplan¹,

Lau²

2021

Preprint

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Abstract. Lightning is one of the most important atmospheric phenomena and has wide ranging influence on the Earth System, but few long-term observational datasets of lightning occurrence and distribution are currently freely available. Here we analyze global lightning activity over the second decade of the 21st century using a new global, high-resolution gridded timeseries and climatology of lightning stroke density based on raw data from the World-Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN). While the total number of strokes detected increases from 2010–2014, an adjustment for detection efficiency reduces this artificial trend. The global distribution of lightning shows the well-known pattern of greatest density over the three tropical terrestrial regions of the Americas, Africa, and the Maritime Continent, but we also noticed substantial temporal variability over the 11 years of record, with more lightning in the tropics from 2012–2015 and increasing lightning in the mid-latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere from 2016–2020. Although the total number of strokes detected globally was constant, mean stroke power decreases significantly from a peak in 2013 to the lowest levels on record in 2020. Evaluation with independent observational networks shows that while the WWLLN does not capture peak seasonal lightning densities, it does represent the majority of powerful lightning strokes. The resulting gridded lightning dataset (Kaplan and Lau, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.904253) is freely available and will be useful for a range of studies in climate, earth system, and natural hazards research, including direct use as input data to models and as evaluation data for independent simulations of lightning occurrence.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The WGLC global gridded lightning climatology and timeseries

Kaplan¹,

Lau²

2021

Preprint

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“…Owens et al . [] have noted a correlation between lightning flashes over the UK and the passage of interplanetary HCSs. They speculate that it may be the CIRs in the stream‐stream interaction regions (please refer to Figure ) that are causing the “compression/amplification of the heliospheric magnetic field (HMF).”…”

Section: Discussion Of Related Observations and Models To Hcs Crossinmentioning

confidence: 99%

Heliospheric plasma sheet (HPS) impingement onto the magnetosphere as a cause of relativistic electron dropouts (REDs) via coherent EMIC wave scattering with possible consequences for climate change mechanisms

et al. 2016

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A new scenario is presented for the cause of magnetospheric relativistic electron decreases (REDs) and potential effects in the atmosphere and on climate. High‐density solar wind heliospheric plasmasheet (HPS) events impinge onto the magnetosphere, compressing it along with remnant noon‐sector outer‐zone magnetospheric ~10‐100 keV protons. The betatron accelerated protons generate coherent electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves through a temperature anisotropy (T⊥/T|| > 1) instability. The waves in turn interact with relativistic electrons and cause the rapid loss of these particles to a small region of the atmosphere. A peak total energy deposition of ~3 × 1020 ergs is derived for the precipitating electrons. Maximum energy deposition and creation of electron‐ion pairs at 30‐50 km and at < 30 km altitude are quantified. We focus the readers' attention on the relevance of this present work to two climate change mechanisms. Wilcox et al. (1973) noted a correlation between solar wind heliospheric current sheet (HCS) crossings and high atmospheric vorticity centers at 300 mb altitude. Tinsley et al. () has constructed a global circuit model which depends on particle precipitation into the atmosphere. Other possible scenarios potentially affecting weather/climate change are also discussed.

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“…A possible signal associated with solar rotation has also been found in the lightning data obtained by the Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union. UK Met Office both for AD 2000-2005(Scott et al, 2014 and AD 2000-2007(Owens et al, 2015. For local lightning activity, a significant 27-day signal has been detected for AD 1991-1992and AD 1999responding to the solar cycle maxima, in the data obtained at Norikura-dake in Japan (Muraki et al, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Solar 27-day rotational period detected in wide-area lightning activity in Japan

Miyahara¹,

Higuchi²,

Terasawa³

et al. 2017

Ann. Geophys.

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Abstract. A signal of the 27-day solar rotational period is often observed in cloud and lightning activities over the globe. Here we provide evidence of the 27-day periodicity of lightning activity in Japan using daily observational records of lightning for AD 1989-2015. The 27-day period is detected with 4.2 standard deviations, but only in wide-area lightning activity covering more than a 10 5 km 2 . The 27-day signal is more prominent around the maxima of solar decadal cycles.

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Lightning as a space‐weather hazard: UK thunderstorm activity modulated by the passage of the heliospheric current sheet

Cited by 24 publications

References 38 publications

The WGLC global gridded lightning climatology and timeseries

The WGLC global gridded lightning climatology and timeseries

Heliospheric plasma sheet (HPS) impingement onto the magnetosphere as a cause of relativistic electron dropouts (REDs) via coherent EMIC wave scattering with possible consequences for climate change mechanisms

Solar 27-day rotational period detected in wide-area lightning activity in Japan

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