Lightning leader stepping, K changes, and other observations near an intracloud flash

Winn, W. P.; Aulich, G. D.; Hunyady, S. J.; Eack, K.; Edens, H. E.; Krehbiel, P. R.; Rison, W.; Sonnenfeld, R.

doi:10.1029/2011jd015998

Cited by 45 publications

(93 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…For the bolt‐from‐the‐blue lightning inFigure 12, if the negative charge removal by the impulse charge transfer is uniformly distributed along the leader channel, we compute a line charge density to be about −0.7 mC/m. This value is not particularly large or small compared to previous measurements of charge density of lightning channels ranging from 0.02 to 32 mC/m [ Proctor , 1997; Thomson et al , 1985; Liu and Krehbiel , 1985; Warner et al , 2003; Lu et al , 2011b; Winn et al , 2011]. Therefore, it remains unclear whether and by how much the main negative charge region is discharged through the impulse charge transfer (within 2 ms after the return stroke) in a bolt‐from‐the‐blue stroke.…”

Section: Impulse Charge Transfer With Different Lightning Morphologymentioning

confidence: 68%

Lightning morphology and impulse charge moment change of high peak current negative strokes

Cummer

Blakeslee

et al. 2012

J. Geophys. Res.

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[1] We have analyzed very high frequency lightning mapping observations and remote magnetic field measurements to investigate connections between lightning morphology and impulse charge moment change (iCMC) of negative cloud-to-ground (CG) strokes with high estimated peak currents. Four lightning morphologies are identified for a total of 2126 strokes within optimum detection range of the North Alabama Lightning Mapping Array, and statistical iCMC distributions are given for each of these types. Almost all (>90%) of the largest impulse charge moments (greater than À200 C km in this data set) are not produced by strokes in ordinary negative CG flashes. Instead, negative strokes with the largest iCMCs are almost exclusively associated with two unusual flash types that both initially develop as positive (normal) intracloud lightning. In the first type the negative stroke with high iCMCs results from a negative leader that descends from the midlevel negative charge region after the upper level negative leader ceases propagating. In the second type, the upper level negative leader of the intracloud lightning progresses toward ground as a so-called bolt from the blue to generate the negative stroke. Measurements of strokes associated with four negative polarity sprites suggest that all four were most likely produced in the first unusual lightning type. Our results highlight that estimated peak current and impulse charge transfer are not always well correlated and that the in-cloud lightning structure strongly influences charge transfer on short time scales in negative CG strokes.

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Section: Impulse Charge Transfer With Different Lightning Morphologymentioning

confidence: 68%

Lightning morphology and impulse charge moment change of high peak current negative strokes

Cummer

Blakeslee

et al. 2012

J. Geophys. Res.

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“…Pasko [2014] assumed that the negative end of stepped leaders jumps forward only when the electric field at that end reached a critical value; Pasko [2014] further assumed that the critical field at the negative end was reached by the continuous extension at the positive end of the leader. This model worked quite well to explain data presented in Marshall et al [2013] and Winn et al [2011].…”

Section: 1002/2014jd021553mentioning

confidence: 75%

Modeling initial breakdown pulses of CG lightning flashes

et al. 2014

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Electric field change waveforms of initial breakdown pulses (IBPs) in cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flashes were recorded at ten sites at Kennedy Space center, Florida, in 2011. Six "classic" IBPs were modeled using three modified transmission line (MTL) models called MTLL, MTLE, and MTLK. The locations of the six IBPs were obtained using a time-of-arrival method and used as inputs for the models; the recorded IBP waveforms from six to eight sites were used as model constraints. All three models were able to reasonably fit the measured IBP waveforms; the best fit was most often given by the MTLE model. For each individual IBP, there was good agreement between the three models on several physical parameters of the IBPs: current risetime, current falltime, current shape factor, current propagation speed, and the total charge moment change. For the six IBPs modeled, the ranges, mean values, and standard deviations of these quantities are as follows: current risetime

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“…Winn et al . [] used an LMA and both ground‐based and airborne electric field measurement to study K events associated with an intracloud flash and found similar results as Shao et al . [].…”

Section: Results and Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Rocket‐and‐wire triggered lightning in 2012 tropical storm Debby in the absence of natural lightning

et al. 2013

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[1] Lightning Mapping Array source locations, channel base currents, and electric field waveforms are presented for a lightning flash triggered in the rainbands of 2012 tropical storm Debby. The National Lightning Detection Network reported no natural cloud-to-ground discharges within 60 km of the North Florida triggering site for at least 20 h before and 8 h after the triggered flash. Additionally, local electric field mill and wideband antenna networks show no close cloud or cloud-to-ground flashes. The triggering rocket was launched with negative charge overhead producing an electric field at the ground of 5 kV m À1 and in coordination with X-band, dual-polarimetric radar observations of streamers of enhanced precipitation descending from the melting level as they approached the site. The Debby flash consisted of an initial stage (IS) followed by eleven leader/return stroke sequences. The flash exhibited all the processes of normal triggered and natural cloud-to-ground lightning: leader/return stroke sequences, continuing currents, K events, and M components. Additionally, the flash exhibited several exceptional characteristics: three return stroke peak currents greater than 25 kA, one very long, 352 ms, continuing current that transferred about 35 C of charge to ground, and a relatively short, 202 ms, IS containing no initial continuous current pulses. Following a near-vertical upward positive leader attaining 2.8 km height, the IS branched and propagated horizontally at 3.5 km altitude. The flash, exhibiting strokes and continuing current, then ascended to and propagated horizontally at 5.5 km, extending about 25 km south and 15 km east. The 0°C level was near 4.5 km above sea level. It follows from the above that clouds that are not producing natural lightning can represent a triggered lightning hazard to launch vehicles and aircraft.

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Lightning leader stepping, K changes, and other observations near an intracloud flash

Cited by 45 publications

References 36 publications

Lightning morphology and impulse charge moment change of high peak current negative strokes

Lightning morphology and impulse charge moment change of high peak current negative strokes

Modeling initial breakdown pulses of CG lightning flashes

Rocket‐and‐wire triggered lightning in 2012 tropical storm Debby in the absence of natural lightning

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