Observing relationships between lightning and cloud profiles by means of a satellite-borne cloud radar

Buiat, Martina; Porcú, Federico; Dietrich, Stefano

doi:10.5194/amt-10-221-2017

Cited by 15 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 45 publications

(46 reference statements)

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“…Lightning rates also show a positive correlation with mass eruption rate and plume height [Van Eaton et al 2016;Prata et al 2020;Smith et al 2021;Van Eaton et al 2022]. These studies parallel existing meteorological models that indicate the importance of ice and strong updrafts for lightning activity in regular thunderstorms [Williams et al 1989;Saunders et al 2006;Deierling et al 2008;Buiat et al 2017;Schultz et al 2017]. Several papers, including those examining the eruptions of Kelud, Indonesia [Hargie et al 2019], Calbuco, Chile [Van Eaton et al 2016], Redoubt, USA [Behnke et al 2013], and Bogoslof, USA [Smith et al 2018; volcanoes, have also examined general spatial trends of globally detected lightning locations.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 53%

Spatial analysis of globally detected volcanic lightning from the June 2019 eruption of Raikoke volcano, Kuril Islands

Smith¹,

Eaton

Schneider³

et al. 2022

Volcanica

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The 21–22 June 2019 eruption of Raikoke volcano, Russia, provided an opportunity to explore how spatial trends in volcanic lightning locations provide insights into pulsatory eruption dynamics. Using satellite-derived plume heights, we examine the development of lightning detected by Vaisala’s Global Lightning Dataset (GLD360) from eleven, closely spaced eruptive pulses. Results from one-dimensional plume modeling show that the eruptive pulses with maximum heights 9–16.5 km above sea level were capable of producing ice in the upper troposphere, which contributed variably to electrification and volcanic lightning. A key finding is that lightning locations not only followed the main dispersal direction of these ash plumes, but also tracked a lower-level cloud derived from pyroclastic density currents. We show a positive relationship between umbrella cloud expansion and the area over which lightning occurs (the ‘lightning footprint’). These observations suggest useful metrics to characterize ongoing eruptive activity in near real-time.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 53%

Spatial analysis of globally detected volcanic lightning from the June 2019 eruption of Raikoke volcano, Kuril Islands

Smith¹,

Eaton

Schneider³

et al. 2022

Volcanica

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“…As in Hokuriku winter clouds, graupel and ice crystals have been found to be critically important in the electrification of many cloud systems globally, including summer thunderstorms (Buiat et al, 2017;Carey & Rutledge, 2000;Deierling et al, 2008).…”

Section: Model Of Hokuriku Winter Thunderstormsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microphysical Structure and Lightning Initiation in Hokuriku Winter Clouds

et al. 2019

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Hokuriku winter clouds produce frequent, positive lightning from relatively shallow clouds. To understand this phenomenon, data from Videosondes and Videosonde‐HYVIS conjoined sondes, launched from Kashiwazaki, Japan, were analyzed with radar and Lightning Location System network data. The main charge carriers were graupel particles and ice crystals, and space charge increased with their number concentrations consistent with riming electrification. Cloud structure evolved greatly over the course of cloud life. In the mature stage, space charge was positive in the cloud upper level (carried by positive ice crystals), negative in the middle level (carried by negative graupel and negative ice crystals), and positive in the lower level (carried by positive graupel). Lightning was only seen in clouds that had all of the following characteristics: cloud top temperature < −14°C, −10°C isotherm >1.2 km, space charge >2–3 pC/L, ice crystal number concentration >500 m−3, and graupel particle number concentration >20 m−3. Predominance of positive cloud‐to‐ground (+CG) lightning was associated with graupel number concentration <200 m−3 and graupel peak diameter ≤4 mm. The +CG strike zone tended to be downshear from the −CG strike zone. The data suggest that −CG is initiated mainly by middle‐level negative graupel in the convective cell, while +CG is initiated by positive ice crystals in the upper domain, displaced by wind shear and descending. A major contributor to ice crystal number density is a novel ice multiplication process in which graupel‐surface ice branches are broken‐off in large numbers and subsequently grow into ice crystals.

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“…Another study, by Carey and Rutledge (2000), reported on a tropical convective complex over the Tiwi Islands on 28 November 1995, observed by a C-band polarimetric radar. It is noteworthy that in its initial phase the storm was dominated by warm rain processes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of the lightning production of convective cells

et al. 2019

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Abstract. This paper presents an analysis of the lightning production of convective cells. The cells were detected by the MeteoSwiss Thunderstorms Radar Tracking (TRT) algorithm in the course of a lightning measurement campaign that took place in the summer of 2017 in the area surrounding the Säntis mountain, in the northeastern part of Switzerland. For this campaign, and for the first time in the Alps, a lightning mapping array (LMA) was deployed. In the first part of the paper, we examine the relationship between the intra-cloud (IC) and cloud-to-ground (CG) activity and the cell severity, as derived by the TRT algorithm, of a large dataset of cells gathered during the campaign. We also propose and analyse the performance of a new metric to quantify lightning intensity, the rimed-particle column (RPC) height and base altitude. In the second part, we focus on two of the most severe cells detected during the campaign that produced significantly different outcomes in terms of lightning activity. The paper shows that the newly proposed metric (RPC) seems to be a very promising predictor of lightning activity, particularly for IC flashes. Future lightning nowcasting algorithms should be probabilistic in nature and incorporate the polarimetric properties of the convective cells as well as the lightning climatology.

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Observing relationships between lightning and cloud profiles by means of a satellite-borne cloud radar

Cited by 15 publications

References 45 publications

Spatial analysis of globally detected volcanic lightning from the June 2019 eruption of Raikoke volcano, Kuril Islands

Spatial analysis of globally detected volcanic lightning from the June 2019 eruption of Raikoke volcano, Kuril Islands

Microphysical Structure and Lightning Initiation in Hokuriku Winter Clouds

Analysis of the lightning production of convective cells

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