LINET—An international lightning detection network in Europe

Betz, Hans Dieter; Schmidt, Kersten; Laroche, Pierre; Blanchet, P.; Oettinger, W. P.; Defer, Éric; Dziewit, Zdzislaw; Konarski, Jerzy

doi:10.1016/j.atmosres.2008.06.012

Cited by 220 publications

(146 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…More than 120 sensors in over 20 European countries compose the network, with good coverage of the central and western Mediterranean region, from 10 • W to 35 • E in longitude and from 30 to 65 • N in latitude. Further details and specifications are in Betz et al (2009). The detection efficiency of ICs and CGs depends on the distance between the stroke event and the LINET sensors, and on the network baseline.…”

Section: Instrumentationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Instruments selected for this study are the DP C-band radar (Polar 55C) of the National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Atmospheric Science and Climate (CNR-ISAC), and a 2-D video disdrometer (2-DVD), located in the historic center of Rome. Lightning data from the European LIghtning detection NETwork (LINET; Betz et al, 2009) made available in real time at CNR-ISAC were also used.…”

Section: Instrumentationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Multi-sensor analysis of convective activity in central Italy during the HyMeX SOP 1.1

et al. 2016

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Abstract.A multi-sensor analysis of convective precipitation events that occurred in central Italy in autumn 2012 during the HyMeX (Hydrological cycle in the Mediterranean experiment) Special Observation Period (SOP) 1.1 is presented. Various microphysical properties of liquid and solid hydrometeors are examined to assess their relationship with lightning activity. The instrumentation used consisted of a C-band dual-polarization weather radar, a 2-D video disdrometer, and the LINET lightning network. Results of Tmatrix simulation for graupel were used to (i) tune a fuzzy logic hydrometeor classification algorithm based on Liu and Chandrasekar (2000) for the detection of graupel from Cband dual-polarization radar measurements and (ii) to retrieve graupel ice water content. Graupel mass from radar measurements was related to lightning activity. Three significant case studies were analyzed and linear relations between the total mass of graupel and number of LINET strokes were found with different slopes depending on the nature of the convective event (such as updraft strength and freezing level height) and the radar observational geometry. A high coefficient of determination (R 2 = 0.856) and a slope in agreement with satellite measurements and model results for one of the case studies (15 October 2012) were found. Results confirm that one of the key features in the electrical charging of convective clouds is the ice content, although it is not the only one. Parameters of the gamma raindrop size distribution measured by a 2-D video disdrometer revealed the transition from a convective to a stratiform regime. The raindrop size spectra measured by a 2-D video disdrometer were used to partition rain into stratiform and convective classes. These results are further analyzed in relation to radar measurements and to the number of strokes. Lightning activity was not always recorded when the precipitation regime was classified as convective rain. High statistical scores were found for relationships relating lightning activity to graupel aloft.

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Section: Instrumentationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Instrumentationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-sensor analysis of convective activity in central Italy during the HyMeX SOP 1.1

et al. 2016

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“…For instance, some groundbased or space-borne sensors detect electromagnetic radiation emitted in the very high frequency (VHF) domain (e.g., Proctor, 1981;Shao and Krehbiel, 1996;Jacobson et al, 1999;Krehbiel et al, 2000;Defer et al, 2001;Defer and Laroche, 2009). Other instruments detect the radiation emitted by lightning flashes in the optical wavelength (e.g., Light et al, 2001;Christian et al, 2003) or in the very low frequency / low frequency (VLF / LF) range (e.g., Cummins et al, 1998;Smith et al, 2002;Betz et al, 2008Betz et al, , 2009. But because no technique covers all the physical aspects of a lightning flash, multi-instrumental observations are required to provide the most comprehensive description in order to analyze in great detail the lightning flashes and consequently the whole lightning activity of a thunderstorm.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An overview of the lightning and atmospheric electricity observations collected in southern France during the HYdrological cycle in Mediterranean EXperiment (HyMeX), Special Observation Period 1

et al. 2015

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Abstract. The PEACH project (Projet en Electricité Atmosphérique pour la Campagne HyMeX -the Atmospheric Electricity Project of the HyMeX Program) is the atmospheric electricity component of the Hydrology cycle in the Mediterranean Experiment (HyMeX) experiment and is dedicated to the observation of both lightning activity and electrical state of continental and maritime thunderstorms in the area of the Mediterranean Sea. During the HyMeX SOP1 (Special Observation Period) from 5 September to 6 November 2012, four European operational lightning locating systems (ATDnet, EUCLID, LINET, ZEUS) and the HyMeX lightning mapping array network (HyLMA) were used to locate and characterize the lightning activity over the northwestern Mediterranean at flash, storm and regional scales. Additional research instruments like slow antennas, video cameras, microbarometer and microphone arrays were also operated. All these observations in conjunction with operational/research ground-based and airborne radars, rain gauges and in situ microphysical records are aimed at characterizing and understanding electrically active and highly precipitating events over southeastern France that often lead to severe flash floods. Simulations performed with cloud resolving models like Meso-NH and Weather Research and Forecasting are used to interpret the results and to investigate further the links between dynamics, microphysics, electrification and lightning occurrence. Herein we present an overview of the PEACH project and its different instruments. Examples are discussed to illustrate the comprehensive and Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union. E. Defer et al.: Atmospheric electricity observations during HyMeX SOP1unique lightning data set, from radio frequency to acoustics, collected during the SOP1 for lightning phenomenology understanding, instrumentation validation, storm characterization and modeling.

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“…Since in this study ZEUS was compared to another long-range detection network with known limitations as it concerns the detection efficiency and the location accuracy, a further comparison was necessary, this time with LINET, which is able to detect cloud-to-cloud and intracloud discharges (IC, hereafter), as well as cloud-to-ground (CG, hereafter) with a location accuracy of a few hundreds of meters. The period of comparison spans over one year (November 2007-October 2008 and is limited to central and southern Germany as well as parts of Austria and Switzerland, where the large number of deployed LINET sensors guarantees particularly high efficiency and accuracy (Betz et al, 2009). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A comparison of lightning data provided by ZEUS and LINET networks over Western Europe

Lagouvardos

Kotroni

Betz³

et al. 2009

Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. In the framework of this paper, one-year of lightning data from the experimental network ZEUS operated by the National Observatory of Athens is compared to collocated data provided by the LINET detection network. The area of comparison is limited to a part of Central-Western Europe, where LINET data exhibits the highest data quality, permitting thus to be used as the validation dataset. The location error of ZEUS was calculated to be ∼6.8 km, while the detection efficiency was ∼25%, with a characteristic underdetection during nighttime. Moreover, the analysis revealed that ZEUS is also capable to detect not only cloud-to-ground but also intra-cloud strokes. Analysis of a specific case study revealed that the spatial distribution of ZEUS was very close to that of LINET, although the total number of strokes as seen by ZEUS is much lower than the one from LINET. The overall analysis permitted to assess the main characteristics of ZEUS network, information considered of paramount importance before the use of ZEUS data for a variety of observational and modeling work.

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LINET—An international lightning detection network in Europe

Cited by 220 publications

References 16 publications

Multi-sensor analysis of convective activity in central Italy during the HyMeX SOP 1.1

Multi-sensor analysis of convective activity in central Italy during the HyMeX SOP 1.1

An overview of the lightning and atmospheric electricity observations collected in southern France during the HYdrological cycle in Mediterranean EXperiment (HyMeX), Special Observation Period 1

A comparison of lightning data provided by ZEUS and LINET networks over Western Europe

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