Thunderstorm on July 16, 1975, over Langmuir laboratory: A case study

Winn, W. P.; Moore, Charles B.; Holmes, C. R.; Byerley, L. G.

doi:10.1029/jc083ic06p03079

Cited by 104 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…The main in situ data used in this study were collected with helium-filled rubber balloons carrying electric field meters [Winn et al, 1978' Marshall et al, 1995 and meteorological radiosondes. Balloon-borne field meters measure the magnitude of the total electric field (E), its vertical component (Ez), and the polarity of E z.…”

Section: Instrumentation and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Serial soundings of electric field through a mesoscale convective system

Stolzenburg¹,

Marshall²,

Rust³

2001

J. Geophys. Res.

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Abstract. Five partial balloon soundings of electric field and thermodynamics were made in a mesoscale convective system (MCS) in 1998. Data were gathered in an updraft and outside updrafts within the convective region, in the transition zone, and in the stratiform cloud region.In the first sounding the maximum and average inferred updraft speeds (27 and 15 m s -1) are the largest found to date in soundings through MCS convection. As in previous measurements the electric field profile is simpler and fewer charge regions are inferred within the updraft than elsewhere. Together the first four soundings support in most details a previously published conceptual model of MCS electrical structure from the convective region updraft to the transition zone. Two exceptions within the soundings were found; these involve opposite polarity of the lowest two charge regions in the transition zone cloud and additional complexity above the main negative charge region. The earlier conceptual model also showed possible connections between charge regions across an MCS, but those were based on soundings through many different MCSs. The first four soundings presented herein provide stronger evidence for three to five similar charge regions across the front of this MCS. The sounding through the stratiform cloud region was atypical and does not fit the conceptual model, and no connections to charge regions in the rest of the MCS are obvious. Two soundings presented from a second MCS indicate that the upper three charge regions in the transition zone are connected to the stratiform cloud, as depicted in earlier conceptual models.

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Section: Instrumentation and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Serial soundings of electric field through a mesoscale convective system

Stolzenburg¹,

Marshall²,

Rust³

2001

J. Geophys. Res.

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“…We determine E inside clouds with electric field meters [e.g., Winn et al, 1978], which measure E magnitudes to 220 kV m À1 at a rate of about 5 Hz, with error less than 10% [Marshall et al, 1995b]. Polarity of the vertical component of E is determined separately by the instrument.…”

Section: Data Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electric field values observed near lightning flash initiations

Stolzenburg

Marshall

Rust

et al. 2007

Geophysical Research Letters

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[1] From a dataset of about 250 soundings of electric field (E), nine were adversely affected by lightning. These soundings are interpreted as ending near lightning initiation locations. Scaled to standard pressure, the largest observed E was 626 kV m À1 and the largest estimated E was 929 kV m À1. E exceeded runaway breakdown threshold, RB th , by factors of 1.1-3.3 before each flash, and overvoltages were 1.4 -4.3. Seven cases had rapid E increases (rates of 11-100 kV m À1 s À1) in the few seconds before the flash, and in three the maximum E occurred 3 s or more before the flash. A tenth sounding with E > RB th for 38 s had subsequent lightning initiate 2 km from the balloon; one channel came within 400 m, but the flash and large E did not adversely affect the instruments. The findings suggest that E > RB th is a necessary condition for lightning initiation, but it is not sufficient.

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“…[8] Each balloon also carried an electric field meter of the type described by Winn et al [1978] and Marshall et al [1995]. This instrument measures the magnitude of E up to 220 kV m…”

Section: Balloon Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Their measurements indicated that IC flashes begin with ''upward propagating negative breakdown'' followed ''after a time delay'' by radiation associated with previously undetected positive polarity breakdown. Presumably, the two polarities of breakdown were initially driven by the primarily downward pointing electric field (E) commonly seen between the main negative and upper positive charge regions [e.g., Winn et al, 1978;Stolzenburg et al, 1998aStolzenburg et al, , 1998bStolzenburg et al, , 1998c. Shao and Krehbiel [1996] assumed that the horizontal branches of the bilevel IC flashes traveled through the main negative and upper positive charge regions of the cloud.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of charge and electrostatic potential on lightning propagation

et al. 2003

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[1] Three-dimensional lightning mapping observations are compared to cloud charge structures and electric potential profiles inferred from balloon soundings of electric field in New Mexico mountain thunderstorms. For six individual intracloud and cloud-to-ground flashes and for a sequence of 36 flashes in one storm, the comparisons consistently show good agreement between the altitudes of horizontal lightning channels and the altitudes of electric potential extrema or wells. Lightning flashes appear to deposit charge of opposite polarity in relatively localized volumes within the preexisting lower positive, midlevel negative, and upper positive charge regions associated with the potential wells. The net effect of recurring lightning charge deposition at the approximate levels of potential extrema is to increase the complexity in the observed storm charge structure. The midlevel breakdown of both normal intracloud flashes and negative cloud-to-ground flashes is observed to be segregated by flash type into the upper and lower parts of the deep potential well associated with the midlevel negative charge. The segregation is consistent with perturbations observed in the bottom of the negative potential well due to embedded positive charge that was probably deposited by earlier flashes. It is also consistent with an expected tendency for vertical breakdown to begin branching horizontally before reaching the local potential minimum. The joint observations reconcile the apparent dichotomy between the complex charge structures often inferred from balloon soundings through storms and the simpler structures often inferred from lightning measurements.

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Thunderstorm on July 16, 1975, over Langmuir laboratory: A case study

Cited by 104 publications

References 10 publications

Serial soundings of electric field through a mesoscale convective system

Serial soundings of electric field through a mesoscale convective system

Electric field values observed near lightning flash initiations

Effects of charge and electrostatic potential on lightning propagation

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