Modeling the Chemical Impact and the Optical Emissions Produced by Lightning‐Induced Electromagnetic Fields in the Upper Atmosphere: The case of Halos and Elves Triggered by Different Lightning Discharges

Pérez‐Invernón, Francisco J.; Luque, Alejandro; Gordillo‐Vázquez, F. J.

doi:10.1029/2017jd028235

Cited by 21 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 148 publications

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“…The global chemical influence of TLEs has been investigated by previous studies. According to previous local models of halos and elves (Pérez‐Invernón, Luque, & Gordillo‐Vázquez, ), their global chemical impact would be negligible. Arnone et al () and Arnone and Dinelli (2016) estimated the global production of NO x by sprites using the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model version 4 (WACCM4).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…Other types of TLEs, known as halos and elves, can also be produced in the upper atmosphere at altitudes greater than 70 and 80 km. Both halos and sprites can have a duration of several milliseconds (Barrington‐Leigh et al, ; Bering, Benbrook, et al, ; Bering et al, ; Bering, Bhusal, et al, ; Frey et al, ; Gordillo‐Vázquez, ; Luque & Gordillo‐Vázquez, ; Lyons et al, ; Moudry et al, ; Sentman & Wescott, ; Sentman et al, ; Wescott, Stenbaek‐Nielsen, et al, ), while elves have a duration of less than 1 ms (Gordillo‐Vázquez et al, ; Inan et al, , ; Kuo et al, ; Marshall et al, ; Moudry et al, ; Pérez‐Invernón, Luque, & Gordillo‐Vázquez, ; Pérez‐Invernón, Luque, Gordillo‐Vazquez, Sato, et al, ; Taranenko et al, ; van der Velde & Montanyá, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several authors have investigated the local chemical impact of TLEs (Gordillo‐Vázquez, , ; Gordillo‐Vázquez & Donkó, ; Hoder et al, ; Parra‐Rojas et al, , ; Pasko et al, ; Pérez‐Invernón et al, ; Pérez‐Invernón, Luque, & Gordillo‐Vázquez, ; Sentman et al, ; Winkler & Notholt, ). Recently, Winkler and Notholt () developed a local chemical model of BJ obtaining an important local enhancement of NO x , N 2 O, and O.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Global Occurrence and Chemical Impact of Stratospheric Blue Jets Modeled With WACCM4

Pérez‐Invernón

Gordillo‐Vázquez²,

Smith³

et al. 2019

JGR Atmospheres

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In this work we present the first parameterizations of the global occurrence rate and chemical influence of Blue Jets, a type of transient luminous event taking place in the stratospheric region above thunderclouds. These parameterizations are directly coupled with five different lightning parameterizations implemented in the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM4). We have obtained a maximum Blue Jet global occurrence rate of about 0.9 BJ per minute. The geographical occurrence of Blue Jets is closely related to the chosen lightning parameterization. Some previously developed local chemical models of Blue Jets predicted an important influence onto the stratospheric concentration of N2O, NOx, and O3. We have used these results together with our global implementations of Blue Jets in WACCM4 to estimate their global chemical influence in the atmosphere. According to our results, Blue Jets can inject about 3.8 Tg N2O‐N/year and 0.07 Tg NO‐N/year near the stratosphere, where N2O‐N and NO‐N stand for the mass of nitrogen atoms in N2O and NO molecules, respectively. These production rates of N2O and NOx could have a direct impact on, for example, the acidity of rainwater or the greenhouse effect. We have found that Blue Jets could also slightly contribute to the depletion of stratospheric ozone. In particular, we have estimated that the maximum difference in the concentration of O3 at 30 km of altitude between simulations with and without Blue Jets can be about −5% in equatorial and polar regions.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Global Occurrence and Chemical Impact of Stratospheric Blue Jets Modeled With WACCM4

Pérez‐Invernón

Gordillo‐Vázquez²,

Smith³

et al. 2019

JGR Atmospheres

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“…We consider excited states whose optical emissions correspond to transition within the entire first positive system (FPS), second positive system (SPS), first negative system (FNS), and Lyman‐Birge‐Hopfield (LBH) band. These rates have been obtained using the Boltzmann solver BOLSIG+(Hagelaar & Pitchford, ) and the cross sections used in Pérez‐Invernón et al ().…”

Section: Optical Signal Treatmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Number of photons of electrons under the influence of a reduced electric field larger than E / N and weighted by the air density. This plot corresponds to a simulation of a halo (Pérez‐Invernón et al, ) at different times after its onset.…”

Section: Optical Signal Treatmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spectroscopic Diagnostic of Halos and Elves Detected From Space‐Based Photometers

et al. 2018

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In this work, we develop two spectroscopic diagnostic methods to derive the peak reduced electric field in transient luminous events (TLEs) from their optical signals. These methods could be used to analyze the optical signature of TLEs reported by spacecraft such as Atmosphere‐Space Interactions Monitor (European Space Agency) and the future Tool for the Analysis of RAdiations from lightNIngs and Sprites (Centre National d'Études Spatiales). As a first validation of these methods, we apply them to the predicted (synthetic) optical signatures of halos and elves, two types of TLEs, obtained from electrodynamical models. This procedure allows us to compare the inferred value of the peak reduced electric field with the value computed by halo and elve models. Afterward, we apply both methods to the analysis of optical signatures of elves and halos reported by Global LIghtning and sprite MeasurementS (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and Imager of Sprites and Upper Atmospheric Lightning (National Space Organization) spacecraft, respectively. We conclude that the best emission ratios to estimate the maximum reduced electric field in halos and elves are the ratio of the second positive system of N2 to first negative system (FNS) of N 2+, the first positive system of N2 to FNS of N 2+ and the Lyman‐Birge‐Hopfield band of N2 to FNS of N 2+. In the case of reduced electric fields below 150 Td, we found that the ratio of the second positive system of N2 to first positive system of N2 can also be used to reasonably estimate the value of the field. Finally, we show that the reported optical signals from elves can be treated following an inversion method in order to estimate some of the characteristics of the parent lightning.

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Climatology of Transient Luminous Events and Lightning Observed Above Europe and the Mediterranean Sea

et al. 2019

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In 1999, the first sprites were observed above European thunderstorms using sensitive cameras. Since then, Eurosprite campaigns have been conducted to observe sprites and other transient luminous events (TLEs), expanding into a network covering large parts of Europe and coastal areas. In 2009 through 2013, the number of optical observations of TLEs reached a peak of 2000 per year. Because of this unprecedented number of European observations, it was possible to construct 5 a climatology of 8394 TLEs observed above 1018 thunderstorm systems, and study for the first time their distribution and seasonal cycle above Europe and parts of the Mediterranean Sea. The number of TLEs per thunderstorm was found to follow a power law, with less than 10 TLEs for 801 thunderstorms and up to 195 TLEs above the most prolific one. The majority of TLEs were classified as sprites, 641 elves, 280 halos, 70 upward lightning, 2 blue jets and 1 gigantic jet. The climatology 10 shows intense TLE activity during summer over continental areas, and in late autumn over coastal 1 vised manuscript with changes highlighted Click here to access/download;attachment to manuscript;Arnone2019_SG_revised_manuscript_RM_changes_ lick here to view linked References areas and sea. The two seasons peak respectively in August and November, separated by March and April with almost no TLEs, and a relative minimum around September. The observed TLE activity, i.e. mostly sprites, is shown to be largely consistent with lightning activity, with a 1/1000 of observed TLE to lightning ratio in regions with most observations. The overall behavior is consistent among individual years, making the observed seasonal cycle a robust general feature of TLE activity above Europe. Article Highlights• Detailed climatological study of TLEs and lightning above Europe produced for the first time • Seasonal cycle of TLEs and lightning with two active seasons in summer over land and autumn over sea and coastal areas • Power law distribution of number of TLEs per thunderstorm Keywords Thunderstorms, lightning, transient luminous events, ground-based observations, Europe, climatology. 1 Introduction 1.1 Transient luminous events Three decades ago, a test low-light camera recorded a sprite (Franz et al., 1990), a spectacular discharge extending for tens of km above a thunderstorm. It was the first discovery of a whole family of upper atmosphere electrical processes, collectively known as transient luminous events (TLEs -see

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Modeling the Chemical Impact and the Optical Emissions Produced by Lightning‐Induced Electromagnetic Fields in the Upper Atmosphere: The case of Halos and Elves Triggered by Different Lightning Discharges

Cited by 21 publications

References 148 publications

Global Occurrence and Chemical Impact of Stratospheric Blue Jets Modeled With WACCM4

Global Occurrence and Chemical Impact of Stratospheric Blue Jets Modeled With WACCM4

Spectroscopic Diagnostic of Halos and Elves Detected From Space‐Based Photometers

Climatology of Transient Luminous Events and Lightning Observed Above Europe and the Mediterranean Sea

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