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Lightning Activity within a Tornadic Thunderstorm Observed by the Optical Transient Detector (OTD)

The first storm-scale, total lightning observations during tornadogenesis from space are presented. The NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) OTD (Optical Transient Detector) overpass of an Oklahoma supercell, just minutes prior to tornado touchdown on 17 April 1995, detected a lightning flash rate of 45 flashes/ min. The total lighting activity was at least 15 times greater than the cloud-to-ground lightning activity detected by the National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN), indicating most of the lightning was intracloud. Total lightning rates were decreasing rapidly prior to tornadic touchdown. These observations are consistent with the limited results from recent ground based measurements of total lightning activity in tornadic storms, suggesting significant intracloud lightning and rapidly decreasing flash rates prior to tornado touchdown.

Buechler, D. E.↗

The 1997-98 El Nino Event and Related Wintertime Lightning Variations in the Southeastern United States

The El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a climate anomaly responsible for worldwide weather impacts ranging from droughts to floods. In the United States, warm episode years are known to produce above normal rainfall along the Southeast U.S. Gulf Coast and into the Gulf of Mexico, with the greatest response observed in the October-March period of the warm episode year. The 1997-98 warm episode is notable for being the strongest event since 198283. With the recent launch of a lightning sensor on NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) in November 1997 and the detailed coverage of the U.S. National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN), such interannual changes in lightning activity can be examined with far greater detail than ever before. For the 1997-98 ENSO event the most significant year-to-year changes in lightning frequency worldwide occurred along the Gulf Coast and within the Gulf of Mexico basin during the Northern Hemisphere winter. Within a broad swath across the northern Gulf of Mexico basin there is a 100-150% increase in lightning days year-to-year (a peak of 33 days in the winter of 1997-98 vs. only 15 days or fewer in both the 1996-97 and 1998-99 winter). In addition, there is a nearly 200% increase in lightning hours (a peak of 138 hours in 1996-97 vs. 50 hours in both 1996-97 and 1998-99). The increase in lightning activity during ENSO occurs in association with a 100% increase in the number of synoptic scale cyclones that developed within or moved through the Gulf basin. The primary variables controlling these enhancements in thunderstorm activity are the position and strength of the jet stream.

Goodman, S. J.↗

Tropical Cyclone Lightning Distribution and Its Relationship to Convection and Intensity Change

The long distance National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) was used to monitor the distribution of lightning strokes in various 1998 and 1999 western North Atlantic tropical cyclones. These ground-based lightning observations together with the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) and the Tropical Rain Mapping Mission (TRMM) Microwave Instrument (TMI) derived convective rain rates were used to monitor the propagation of electrically charged convective rain bands aid to qualitatively estimate intensification. An example of the lightning analyses was performed on hurricane George between 25-28 September, 1998 when the system left Key West and moved towards the Louisiana coast. During this period of time, George's maximum winds increased from 38 to 45 meters per second on 25 September and then remained steady state until it made landfall. Time-radius displays of the lightning strokes indicated that the greatest number of lightning strokes occurred within the outer core region (greater than 165 km) with little or no lightning strokes at radii less than 165 km. The trend in these lightning strokes decreased as George move into the Gulf of Mexico and showed no inward propagation. The lack inward propagating lightning strokes with time indicated that there was no evidence that an eye wall replacement was occurring that could alter George's intensity. Since George was steady state at this time, this result is not surprising. Time-azimuth displays of lightning strokes in an annulus whose outer and inner radii were respectively, 222 and 333 km from George's center were also constructed. A result from this analysis indicated that the maximum number of strokes occurred in the forward and rear right quadrant when George was over the Gulf of Mexico. This result is, consistent with the aircraft and satellite observations of maximum rainfall.

Rodgers, Edward↗

Lightning Activity within a Tornadic Thunderstorm Observed by the Optical Transient Detector (OTD)

The first storm-scale, total lightning observations from space during tornadogenesis are presented. During the overpass of an Oklahoma supercell, just minutes prior to tornado touchdown on 17 April 1995, the NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) OTD (Optical Transient Detector) detected a total of 143 flashes during approximately 3 minutes of observation time. The estimated total flash rate ranges from 45 (raw counts) to 78 (corrected for detection efficiency) flashes min-1. This total flash rate was at least 17 times greater than the cloud-to-ground lightning rate detected by the National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN), indicating most of the lightning was intracloud. Cloud-to-ground lightning at this time was also dominated by positive polarity flashes. In addition, total lightning rates were decreasing rapidly prior to touchdown. These OTD observations are consistent with the limited results from recent ground based measurements of total lightning activity in tornadic storms and corroborate that such storms have unusually high total flash rates, are dominated by intracloud lightning, and that the total flash rates are observed to decrease rapidly in the minutes prior to touchdown.

Buechler, D. E.↗

Remotely Sensed Precipitation from the January 2000 East Coast Blizzard

Initial precipitation forecasts of the January 2000 blizzard were unable to adequately alert emergency response along the eastern seaboard. Cyclogenesis, over the Gulf of Mexico was a contributing cause of that problem. We present distributions of precipitation derived from spaceborne microwave measurements from the Special Sensor Microwave/ Imager (SSM/I) and the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) supplemented by NWS operational radar and the National lightning Detection Network (NLDN) Long-Range (LR) product. The combined NWS radar and NLDN-LR data revealed the location of precipitation between 1/23 and 1/27/2000 over the US, the Gulf and the Atlantic Ocean. The remotely sensed precipitation distributions are compared to the precipitation inferred from coincident TMI observations.

Chang, D.-E.↗

Diurnal Cycle of Convection in the East Pacific ITCZ during EPIC-2001

During the last three weeks of September 2001, the EPIC-2001 intensive field campaign focused on studies of deep convection in the ITCZ over the Mexican warm pool region (10N, 95W) of the East Pacific. This study focuses on the pronounced observed diurnal cycle of environmental and convective parameters within the experiment domain. Data from three primary sources are examined: the R/V Ronald H. Brown C-band weather radar, 4-hourly soundings from the Brown and the Global Atmospherics, Inc. National Lightning Detection Network (long range product). Satellite data from TRMM, GOES and OV-1 are also used. The domain boundary layer shows a robust daily evolution of moist enthalpy (as reflect by equivalent potential temperature, theta-e, or wet bulb potential temperature, theta-w), with contributions from changes in both dry and moist entropy. Peak theta-w is found after local nightfall; the average diurnal range of theta-w is approximately 1 deg C. A composite diurnal cycle of convective properties was derived from the C-band volume scans, sampled continuously through the experiment at 10 minute updates. Products derived from the volumetric data include a surface PPI, 15 and 30 dBZ echo top height, vertically integrated liquid, and 6 km (mixed phase region) reflectivity CAPPIs. For almost all products, the parameter means showed virtually no diurnal cycle. However, for the upper-level products, the parameter spectra showed a clear peak in the occurrence of deep/vigorous convection (the "tail end of the distribution") between 7-9 UTC (1-3 AM local), while overall frequency of occurrence peaked later, from 12-15 UTC (6-9 AM local). This represents a daily "outbreak" of isolated deep cells a couple of hours after sunset and subsequent growth, organization and decay through the nighttime hours. The coherence of the diurnal cycle of the convective spectrum is impressive given the wide variety of convective organization observed during the experiment, and given the modulation by passage of 3-5 day easterly waves. While earlier satellite OLR composites suggested an offshore coastal migration of storms into the domain at night, examination of the 150 km and 300 km range radar products showed little evidence of such organization; almost all convection developed "in-place" within the analysis domain. Consistent with the diurnal thermodynamic and microphysical evolution, a clear cycle in cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning occurrence was observed. The local CG diurnal cycle is significantly stronger than the satellite-derived tropical ocean diurnal cycle of total (IC+CG) lightning. Flash rates of 3-4 fl/min were often visually observed after nightfall; these are fairly 'healthy' flash rates for tropical ocean storms, and the domain was qualitatively noted to be unusually lightning-productive by the R/V Brown crew (also consistent with satellite-based climatologies).

Boccippio, Dennis J.↗

A Total Lightning Climatology for the Tennessee Valley Region

Total flash counts derived from the North Alabama Lightning Mapping Array are being processed for 2002 to form a climatology of total lightning for the Tennessee Valley region. The data from this active and interesting period will be compared to data fiom the National Lightning Detection Network, space-based lightning sensors, and weather radars.

McCaul, E. W.↗

Lightning and Precipitation: Observational Analysis of LIS and PR

Lightning flash rate can identify areas of convective rainfall when the storms are dominated by ice-phase precipitation. Modeling and observational studies indicate that cloud electrification and microphysics are very closely related and it is of great interest to understand the relationship between lightning and cloud microphysical quantities. Analyzing data from the Lightning Image Sensor (LIS) and the Precipitation Radar (PR), we show a quantitative relationship between microphysical characteristics of thunderclouds and lightning flash rate. We have performed a complete analysis of all data available over the Mediterranean during the TRMM mission and show a range of reflective profiles as a function of lightning activity for both convective and stratiform regimes as well as seasonal variations. Due to the increasing global coverage of lightning detection networks, this kind of study can used to extend the knowledge about thunderstorms and discriminate between different regimes in regions where radar measurements are readilly available.

Adamo, C.↗

Florida Thunderstorms: A Faucet of Reactive Nitrogen to the Upper Troposphere

During the NASA Cirrus Regional Study of Tropical Anvils and Cirrus Layers-Florida Area Cirrus Experiment (CRYSTAL-FACE) enhanced mixing ratios of nitric oxide were measured in the anvils of thunderstorms and in clear air downwind of storm systems on flights of a Wl3-57F high-altitude aircraft. Mixing ratios greater than l0 - 20 times background were readily observed over distances of 25-120 km due to lightning activity. In many of the Florida storms deposition of NO occurred up to near the tropopause but major deposition usually occurred 1 - 2 km below the tropopause, or mostly within the visible anvil volume formed prior to storm decay. Observations from two storms of very different anvil size and electrical activity allowed estimates of the total mass of NO, vented to the middle and upper troposphere. Using the cloud-to ground (CG) flash accumulations from the National Lightning Detection Network, climatological intra-cloud (IC) to CG ratios, and assuming that CG and IC flashes were of equivalent efficiency for NO production, the ranges of production per flash for a moderate-sized and a large storm were (0.51 - 1.0) x l0(exp 26) and (2.3 - 3.1) x 10(exp 26) molecules NO/flash, respectively. Using the recently determined average global flash rate of 44 8, a gross extrapolation of these two storms to represent possible global annual production rates yield 1.6 - 3.2 and 7.3 - 9.9 Tg(N)/yr, respectively. If the more usual assumption is made that IC efficiency is l/l0th that of CG activity, the ranges of production for the moderate-sized and large storm were (1.3 - 2.7) x l0(exp 26) and (6.0 - 8.1) x l0(exp 26) molecules NO/CG flash, respectively. The estimates from the large storm may be high because there is indirect evidence that the IC/CG ratio was larger than would be derived from climatology. These two storms and others studied did not have flash rates that scaled as approx. H(sup 5) where H is the cloud top altitude. The observed CG flash accumulations and NO(x) mass production estimate for the month of July over the Florida area were compared with a representative 3D global Chemistry-Transport Model (CTMJ that uses the Price et al. lightning parameterization. For two land grid points representing the Florida peninsula the model compared well with the observations: CG flash rates were low by only a factor of approx. 2. When the model grid points included the coastal regions of Florida the flash accumulations were lower than observed by a factor of 3.4 - 4.6. It is recommended that models using the Price et al. parameterization allow any global coastal grid point to maintain the land rather than the marine flash rate parameterization. The convection in this CTM underestimated the actual cloud top heights over Florida by 1 - 2 km and thus the total lightning flash rates and the altitude range of reactive nitrogen deposition. Broad scale (20 - 120 km) median mixing ratios of NO within anvils over Florida were significantly larger than in storms previously investigated over Colorado and New Mexico.

Ridley, B.↗

The North Alabama Lightning Mapping Array: Recent Severe Storm Observations and Future Prospects

The North Alabama Lightning Mapping Array became operational in November 2001 as a principal component of a severe weather test bed to infuse new science and technology into the short-term forecasting of severe and hazardous weather, principally within nearby National Weather Service forecast offices. Since the installation of the LMA, it has measured the total lightning activity of a large number of severe weather events, including three supercell tornado outbreaks, two supercell hailstorm events, and numerous microburst-producing storms and ordinary non-severe thunderstorms. The key components of evolving storm morphology examined are the time rate-of-change (temporal trending) of storm convective and precipitation characteristics that can be diagnosed in real-time using NEXRAD WSR-88D Doppler radar (echo growth and decay, precipitation structures and velocity features, outflow boundaries), LMA (total lightning flash rate and its trend) and National Lightning Detection Network (cloud-to- ground lightning, its polarity and trends). For example, in a transitional season supercell tornado outbreak, peak total flash rates for typical supercells in Tennessee reached 70-100/min, and increases in the total flash rate occurred during storm intensification as much as 20-25 min prior to at least some of the tornadoes. The most intense total flash rate measured during this outbreak (over 800 flashes/min) occurred in a storm in Alabama. In the case of a severe summertime pulse thunderstorm in North Alabama, the peak total flash rate reached 300/min, with a strong increase in total lightning evident some 9 min before damaging winds were observed at the surface. In this paper we provide a sampling of LMA observations and products during severe weather events to illustrate the capability of the system, and discuss the prospects for improving the short-term forecasting of convective weather using total lightning data.

Goodman, S. J.↗

A Preliminary ZEUS Lightning Location Error Analysis Using a Modified Retrieval Theory

The ZEUS long-range VLF arrival time difference lightning detection network now covers both Europe and Africa, and there are plans for further expansion into the western hemisphere. In order to fully optimize and assess ZEUS lightning location retrieval errors and to determine the best placement of future receivers expected to be added to the network, a software package is being developed jointly between the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV). The software package, called the ZEUS Error Analysis for Lightning (ZEAL), will be used to obtain global scale lightning location retrieval error maps using both a Monte Carlo approach and chi-squared curvature matrix theory. At the core of ZEAL will be an implementation of an Iterative Oblate (IO) lightning location retrieval method recently developed at MSFC. The IO method will be appropriately modified to account for variable wave propagation speed, and the new retrieval results will be compared with the current ZEUS retrieval algorithm to assess potential improvements. In this preliminary ZEAL work effort, we defined 5000 source locations evenly distributed across the Earth. We then used the existing (as well as potential future ZEUS sites) to simulate arrival time data between source and ZEUS site. A total of 100 sources were considered at each of the 5000 locations, and timing errors were selected from a normal distribution having a mean of 0 seconds and a standard deviation of 20 microseconds. This simulated "noisy" dataset was analyzed using the IO algorithm to estimate source locations. The exact locations were compared with the retrieved locations, and the results are summarized via several color-coded "error maps."

Elander, Valjean↗

Estimating the NO(x) produced by lightning from GOME and NLDN data: A case study in the Gulf of Mexico

Nitrogen oxides (NO(x)=NO+NO2) play an important role in tropospheric chemistry, in particular in catalytic ozone production. Lightning provides a natural source of nitrogen oxides, dominating the production in the tropical upper troposphere, with strong impact on tropospheric ozone and the atmosphere s oxidizing capacity. Recent estimates of lightning produced NO(x) (LNO(x)) are of the order of 5 Tg [N] per year with still high uncertainties in the range of one order of magnitude. The Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME) on board the ESA-satellite ERS-2 allows the retrieval of tropospheric column densities of NO2 on a global scale. Here we present the GOME NO2 measurement directly over a large convective system over the Gulf of Mexico. Simultaneously, cloud-to-ground (CG) flashes are counted by the U.S. National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN(TradeMark)), and extrapolated to include intracloud (IC)+CG flashes based on a climatological IC:CG ratio derived from NASA s space-based lightning sensors. A series of 14 GOME pixels shows largely enhanced column densities over thick and high clouds, coinciding with strong lightning activity. The enhancements can not be explained by transport of anthropogenic NO(x) and must be due to fresh production of LNO(x). A quantitative analysis, accounting in particular for the visibility of LNO, from satellite, yields a LNO, production of 90 (32-240) moles of NO(x), or 1.3 (0.4-3.4) kg [N], per flash. If simply extrapolated, this corresponds to a global LNO(x) production of 1.7 (0.6-4.7) Tg [N]/yr.

Beirle, S.↗

Electrification in Hurricanes over the Tropical Americas: Implication for Stratospheric Water Vapor

This study explores the relation between lightning activity and water vapor in the Tropical Tropopause Layer (TTL) over hurricane systems in the Tropical Americas. The hypothesis herein is that hurricanes that exhibit enhanced lightning activity are associated with stronger updrafts that can transport more moisture directly into the TTL (and subsequently into the tropical stratosphere) or even directly into the tropical stratosphere over this region. The TTL over the Tropical Americas, which includes the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, is of particular interest, because summertime cold point tropopause is the lowest in height and thus the warmest in temperature over the tropics. The latter condition implies higher saturation values and thus potential for more water vapor to enter the stratosphere. Climate forecast is very sensitive to stratospheric water vapor abundance, because of the key role that water vapor plays in regulating the chemical and radiative properties of the stratosphere. Given the potential for increases in hurricane intensity and frequency under predicted warmer conditions, it becomes essential to understand the effect of hurricanes on stratospheric water vapor. In this study, we use a combination of ground and space-borne observations as well as trajectory calculations. The observations include: cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning data from the U.S. National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN), geostationary infrared observations from the National Climatic Data Center Hurricane Satellite (HURSAT) data set, cloud properties from Aqua-MODIS, and water vapor from Aura-MLS. We analyze hurricanes from the 2005 season when Aura-MLS data are available, namely: Dennis, Emily, Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. Our analysis consists of examining CG lightning, cloud-top properties, and TTL water vapor (i.e., 100 and 147 mb) over the hurricane while it remains over water in the Tropical Americas region. We investigate daily as well as diurnal statistical properties. The hurricanes analyzed in this study showed that lightning activity is negatively correlated with minimum infrared brightness temperature and positively correlated with 100-mb water vapor. An examination of the maxima in water vapor observed over the hurricane not only shows larger magnitudes, but also larger differences between water vapor averages and water vapor maxima over the hurricane as lightning activity increases. Trajectory calculations are performed using the Flextra model in order to investigate the fate of the moister air masses found in the TTL.

Pittman, Jasna V.↗

Electric Field and Lightning Observations in the Core of Category 5 Hurricane Emily

Significant electric fields and lightning activity associated with Hurricane Emily were observed from a NASA high-altitude ER-2 aircraft on July 17, 2005 while this storm developed as a compact but intense category 5 hurricane in the Caribbean south of Cuba. The electrical measurements were acquired as part of the NASA sponsored Tropical Cloud Systems and Processes (TCSP) experiment. In addition to the electrical measurements, the aircraft's remote sensing instrument complement also included active radars, passive microwave, visible and infrared radiometers, and a temperature sounder providing details on the dynamical, microphysical, and environmental structure, characteristics and development of this intense storm. Cloud-to-ground lightning location data from Vaisala's long range lightning detection network were also acquired and displayed in real-time along with electric fields measured at the aircraft. These data and associated display also supported aircraft guidance and vectoring during the mission. During the observing period, flash rates in excess of 3 to 5 flashes per minute, as well as large electric field and field change values were observed as the storm appeared to undergo periods of intensification, especially in the northwest quadrant in the core eyewall regions. This is in contrast to most hurricanes that tend to be characterized by weak electrification and little or no lightning activity except in the outer rain bands. It should be noted that this storm also had significant lightning associated with its rain bands.

Blakeslee, Richard↗

OTD Observations of Continental US Ground and Cloud Flashes

Lightning optical flash parameters (e.g., radiance, area, duration, number of optical groups, and number of optical events) derived from almost five years of Optical Transient Detector (OTD) data are analyzed. Hundreds of thousands of OTD flashes occurring over the continental US are categorized according to flash type (ground or cloud flash) using US National Lightning Detection Network TM (NLDN) data. The statistics of the optical characteristics of the ground and cloud flashes are inter-compared on an overall basis, and as a function of ground flash polarity. A standard two-distribution hypothesis test is used to inter-compare the population means of a given lightning parameter for the two flash types. Given the differences in the statistics of the optical characteristics, it is suggested that statistical analyses (e.g., Bayesian Inference) of the space-based optical measurements might make it possible to successfully discriminate ground and cloud flashes a reasonable percentage of the time.

Koshak, William↗

Differences in the Optical Characteristics of Continental US Ground and Cloud Flashes as Observed from Space

Continental US lightning flashes observed by the Optical Transient Detector (OTD) are categorized according to flash type (ground or cloud flash) using US National Lightning Detection Network (TM) (NLDN) data. The statistics of the ground and cloud flash optical parameters (e.g., radiance, area, duration, number of optical groups, and number of optical events) are inter-compared. On average, the ground flash cloud-top emissions are more radiant, illuminate a larger area, are longer lasting, and have more optical groups and optical events than those cloud-top emissions associated with cloud flashes. Given these differences, it is suggested that the methods of Bayesian Inference could be used to help discriminate between ground and cloud flashes. The ability to discriminate flash type on-orbit is highly desired since such information would help researchers and operational decision makers better assess the intensification, evolutionary state, and severe weather potential of thunderstorms. This work supports risk reduction activities presently underway for the future launch of the GOES-R Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM).

Koshak, William↗

Tennessee Valley Total and Cloud-to-Ground Lightning Climatology Comparison

The North Alabama Lightning Mapping Array (NALMA) has been in operation since 2001 and consists often VHF receivers deployed across northern Alabama. The NALMA locates sources of impulsive VHF radio signals from total lightning by accurately measuring the time that the signals arrive at the different receiving stations. The sources detected are then clustered into flashes by applying spatially and temporally constraints. This study examines the total lightning climatology of the region derived from NALMA and compares it to the cloud-to-ground (CG) climatology derived from the National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) The presentation compares the total and CG lightning trends for monthly, daily, and hourly periods.

Buechler, Dennis↗

OMI Tropospheric NO2 from Lightning in Observed Convective Events

Lightning is responsible for an estimated 15 percent of total NO emissions, and is one of the most prominent sources in the upper troposphere. In this study, we present evidence of lightning-generated NO2 (LNO2) using data from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), which has observed tropospheric NO2 since its launch in 2004. Although LNO2 has been also reported in previous satellite studies from the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME) and SCIAMACHY, OMI is better suited for such measurements by virtue of its higher spatial resolution and daily global coverage. We will present data clearly showing the LNO2 signal in the OMI tropospheric NO2 product on two days over and downwind of specific convective systems in the US Midwest. Gridded monthly mean tropospheric NO 2 data are subtracted from the daily gridded data to obtain the presumed LNO2 signal. Observed cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flashes from the National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) were counted along middle and upper tropospheric back trajectories that were run from the regions containing the LNO2 signal. A vertically-weighted average number of upwind CG flashes was obtained using a profile of LNO(x) mass obtained from a series of midlatitude cloud-resolved storm chemistry simulations. The number of CG flashes was scaled up to total flashes (intracloud (IC) flashes plus CG) using a climatological IC/CG ratio. The number of moles of LNO(x) in the region considered was estimated by assuming that LNO2 is 30 percent of LNO(x). This value was divided by the number of upwind flashes to obtain an average estimate of the number of moles produced per flash. Results yield values in the range obtained through other estimation techniques (e.g., aircraft measurements, models). We will also present a similar analysis over northern Australia during the SCOUT-O3/ACTIVE field campaigns in November and December 2005, in which we will compare the OMI LNOx signals with aircraft observations from the storm anvils.

Pickering, Kenneth↗