Abstract
Emerging real-time capabilities using sensitive ULF/ELF/VLF magnetic receivers can monitor the impulse charge moment changes (iΔMq) of cloud-to-ground lightning strokes (CGs) over large regions. This provides a means to detect the parent CGs of the most common of the transient luminous events (TLEs) – sprites (often preceded by halos.) As iΔMq values grow larger than 100 C km, +CGs have a rapidly increasing probability of producing mesospheric sprites. If the iΔMq value of a +CG is >300 C km, there is a >75–80% chance this CG stroke initiates a sprite. Curiously, while negative iΔMq values of this size are much less common, they do occur. Yet on only a rare occasions have –CGs been documented to initiate a sprite over continental stroms (the so-called polarity paradox). The total charge moment change required to initiate sprites is believed to be at least ∼500 C km. Also, the great majority of sprite initiations are delayed after the return stroke by much more than the 2 ms time period used in the iΔMq estimates. This suggests that while both positive and negative CGs may have relatively large iΔMq values, due to the relatively low amperage continuing currents in the negative discharges, only +CGs have large enough continuing currents to routinely reach breakdown values and initiate sprites. While both CG polarities can theoretically initiate sprites, perhaps a somewhat higher breakdown threshold may exist for –CGs, and/or reduced streamer development makes them more difficult to detect optically? Preliminary climatologies of iΔMq for the U.S. are presented. The technique employed in the U.S. utilizes the National Lightning Detection Network for geolocation, allowing placement of >80–90% of sprite parent +CGs. Global lightning location systems such as the Worldwide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN) appear to detect approximately 25% of the CGs producing U.S. sprites, suggesting the possibility of employing such systems elsewhere.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Bailey, M., M.J. Taylor, P.D. Pautet, S.A. Cummer, N. Jaugey, J.N. Thomas and R.W. Holzworth, 2007: Sprite halos and associated lightning characteristics over South America. AGU Fall Meeting, AE23A-0896, Abstract only.
Barrington-Leigh, C.P. and U.S. Inan, 1999: Elves triggered by positive and negative lightning discharges. Geophys. Res. Lett., 26, 683–686.
Barrington-Leigh, C.P., U.S. Inan, M. Stanley and S.A. Cummer, 1999: Sprites directly triggered by negative lightning discharges. Geophys. Res. Lett., 26, 3605–3608.
Berger, K., R.B. Anderson and H. Kroninger, 1975: Parameters of lightning flashes. Electra, 80, 223–237.
Boccippio, D.J., E.R. Williams, W.A. Lyons, I. Baker and R. Boldi, 1995: Sprites, ELF transients and positive ground strokes. Science, 269, 1088–1091.
Carey, L.D., M.J. Murphy, T.L. McCormick and N.W.S. Demetriades, 2005: Lightning location relative to storm structure in a leading-line, trailing-stratiform mesoscale convective system. J. Geophys. Res., 110, D03105m doi: 10.1029/2003JD004371.
Cummer, S.A., 2006: Measurements of lightning parameters from remote electromagnetic fields. NATO Advanced Study Institute on Sprites, Elves and Intense Lightning Discharges, M. Fullekrug et al. (eds.), Springer, 191–210.
Cummer, S.A., N. Jaugey, J. Li, W.A. Lyons, T.E. Nelson and E.A. Gerken, 2006: Submillisecond imaging of sprite development and structure. Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L04104, doi: 0.1029/2005GL024969.
Cummer, S.A. and W.A. Lyons, 2005: Implications of lightning charge moment changes for sprite initiation. J. Geophys. Res., 110, A04304, doi:10.1029/004JA010812.
Cummer, S.A. and W.A. Lyons, 2004: Lightning charge moment changes in U.S. High Plains thunderstorms. Geophys. Res. Lett., 31, L05114, doi10.1029/ 003GL019043, 2004.
Cummer, S.A. and U.S. Inan, 2000: Modeling ELF radio atmospheric propagation and extracting lightning currents from ELF observations. Radio Sci., 35, 385–394.
Cummins, K.L., M.J. Murphy, E.A. Bardo, W.L. Hiscox, R.B. Pyle and A.E. Pifer, 1998: A combined TOA/MDF technology upgrade of the U.S. National Lightning Detection Network. J. Geophys. Res., 103(D8), 9035–9044.
Engholm, C., R. Dole and E.R. Williams, 1990: Meteorological and electrical conditions associated with positive cloud-to-ground lightning. Mon. Wea. Rev., 118, 470–487.
Franz, R.C., R.J. Nemzek and J.R. Winckler, 1990: Television image of a large upward electrical discharge above a thunderstorm system. Science, 249, 48–51.
Frey, H.U., S.B. Mende, S.A. Cummer, J. Li, T. Adachi, H. Fukunishi, Y. Takahashi, A.B. Chen, R.-R. Hsu, H.-T. Su and Y.-S. Chang, 2007: Halos generated by negative cloud-to-ground lightning. Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L18801, doi: 10.1029/2007GL030908.
Fukunishi, H., Y. Takahashi, M. Kubota, K. Sakanoi, U.S. Inan and W.A. Lyons, 1996: Elves, Lightning-induced transient luminous events in the lower ionosphere. Geophys. Res. Lett. 23, 2157–2160.
Hobara, Y., E. Williams, V. Mushtak, R. Boldi, M. Hayakawa, K. Yamashita, W. Lyons, B. Russell, G. Sátori, J. Bór, C. Price, E. Greenberg and R. Holzworth, 2007: ELF Q-bursts from African squall lines. AGU, 88(52), Fall Meet. Suppl.
Hobara, Y., M. Hayakawa, E. Williams, R. Boldi and E. Downes, 2006: Location and electrical properties of sprite-producing lightning from a single ELF site.NATO Advanced Study Institute on Sprites, Elves and Intense Lightning Discharges, M. Fullekrug et al. (eds.), Springer 211–235.
Hu, W., S. Cummer, W.A. Lyons and T.E. Nelson, 2002: Lightning charge moment changes for the initiation of sprites. Geophys. Res. Lett., 29 , 10.1029/2001GL014593.
Huang, E., E. Williams, R. Boldi, S. Heckman, W. Lyons, M. Taylor, T. Nelson and C. Wong, 1999: Criteria for sprites and elves based on Schumann resonance observations. J. Geophys. Res., 104, 16943–16964.
Jacobson, A.R., R. Holzworth, J. Harlin, R. Dowden and E. Lay 2006: Performance assessment of the World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN), using the Los Alamos Sferic Array (LASA) as ground truth. J. Atmos. Ocean. Tech., 23, 1082–1092.
Lang, T, L.J. Miller, M. Weisman, S.A. Rutledge, L.J. Barker, III, V.N. Bringi, V. Chandrasekar, A. Detwiler, N. Doesken, J. Helsdon, C. Knight, P. Krehbiel, W.A. Lyons, D. MacGorman, E. Rasmussen, W. Rison, W.D. Rust and R.J. Thomas 2004: The Severe Thunderstorm Electrification and Precipitation Study (STEPS), Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 85,1107–1125.
Lang, T.J., S.A. Rutledge and K.C. Wiens, 2004: Origins of positive cloud-to-ground lightning flashes in the stratiform region of a mesoscale convective system. Geophys. Res. Lett., 31, L10105, doi:10.1029/2004GL019823.
Lyons, W.A., S.A. Cummer, M.A. Stanley, K. Wiens and T.E. Nelson, 2008: Supercells and sprites. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 1165–1174, doi: 10.1175/BAMS2439.1.
Lyons, W.A., 2006: The meteorology of transient luminous events – An introduction and overview. NATO Advanced Study Institute on Sprites, Elves and Intense Lightning Discharges, M. Fullekrug et al. (eds.), Springer 19–56.
Lyons, W.A., L.M. Andersen, T.E. Nelson and G.R. Huffines, 2006a: Characteristics of sprite-producing electrical storms in the STEPS 2000 domain. On line summary and CD, 2nd Conference on Meteorological Applications of Lightning Data, AMS, Atlanta,19 pp.
Lyons, W.A., S.A. Cummer and G.R. Huffines, 2006b: Characterizing intense convection using conventional and advanced lightning metrics, including charge moment change. Proceedings of First International Lightning Meteorology Conference, Tucson, AZ. (conference CD31 pp).
Lyons, W.A. and S.A. Cummer 2005: Lightning characteristics of the Aurora, NE record hail stone producing supercell of 22–23 June 2003 during BAMEX. 1st Conference on Meteorological Applications of Lightning Data, AMS, San Diego (available on conference preprint CD).
Lyons, W.A. and R.A. Armstrong 2004: A review of electrical and turbulence effects of convective storms on the overlying stratosphere and mesosphere. AMS Symposium on Space Weather, AMS Annual Meeting, Seattle 6 pp, CD.
Lyons, W.A., T.E. Nelson, E.R. Williams, S.A. Cummer and M.A. Stanley 2003a: Characteristics of sprite-producing positive cloud-to-ground lightning during the 19 July STEPS mesoscale convective systems. Mon. Wea. Rev., 131, 2417–2427.
Lyons, W.A., T.E. Nelson, R.A. Armstrong, V.P. Pasko and M. Stanley 2003b: Upward electrical discharges from the tops of thunderstorms. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 84, 445–454.
Lyons, W.A., R.A. Armstrong, E.R. Williams, and E.A. Bering, 2000: The hundred year hunt for the red sprite. EOS, Trans. Amer. Geophys. Union, 81, 373–377.
Lyons, W.A., M. Uliasz and T.E. Nelson, 1998: Climatology of large peak current cloud-to-ground lightning flashes in the contiguous United States. Mon. Wea. Rev., 126, 2217–2233.
Lyons, W.A., 1996: Sprite observations above the U.S. High Plains in relation to their parent thunderstorm systems. J. Geophys. Res. 101, 29641–29652.
Lyons, W.A., 1994: Low-light video observations of frequent luminous structures in the stratosphere above thunderstorms. Mon. Wea. Rev., 122, 1940–1946.
Orville, R.E., R.W. Henderson and L.F. Bosart, 1988: Bipole patterns revealed by lightning locations in mesoscale storms. Geophys. Res. Lett., 15, 129–132.
Pasko, V.A., 2006: Theoretical modeling of sprites and jets.NATO Advanced Study Institute on Sprites, Elves and Intense Lightning Discharges, M. Fullekrug et al. (eds.), Springer, 253–311.
Pasko, V.A., U.S. Inan, T.F. Bell and Y.N. Taranenko, 1997: Sprites produced by quasi-electrostatic heating and ionization in the lower ionosphere. J. Geophys. Res., 102(A3), 4529–4561.
Pasko, V.P., U.S. Inan and T.F. Bell, 1996: Sprites as luminous columns of ionization produced by quasi-electrostatic thundercloud fields. Geophys. Res. Lett., 23, 649–652.
Price, C., W. Burrows and P. King 2002: The likelihood of winter sprites over the Gulf Stream. Geophys. Res. Lett., 29, doi:10.1029/2002GL015571.
Rakov, V.A. and M.A. Uman, 2003: Lightning: Physics and Effects. Cambridge University Press 687 pp.
Rodger, C.J., S. Werner, J.B. Brundell, E.H. Lay, N.R. Thomson, R.H. Holzworth and R.L. Dowden, 2006: Detection efficiency of the VLF World-Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN): Initial case study. Ann. Geophys., 24, 3197–3214.
Rodger, C.J., 1999: Red sprites, upward lightning and VLF perturbations. Reviews of Geophysics, 37, 317–336.
Samaras, T. and W.A. Lyons 2008: Visualization of naturally produced lightning using high-speed imaging. Preprints, 3rd Conference on Meteorological Applications of Lightning Data, AMS, New Orleans.
Stanley, M.A., 2000: Sprites and their parent discharges. Ph.D. Dissertation, New Mexico Institute of Mining Technology, Socorro, NM 163 pp..
Thomas, R.J., P.R. Krehbiel, W. Rison, S.J. Hunyady, W.P. Winn, T. Hamlin and J. Harlin, 2004: Accuracy of the lightning mapping array. J. Geophys. Res., 109, D14207, doi: 10.1029/2004JD004549.
van der Velde, O.A., W.A. Lyons, T.E. Nelson, S.A. Cummer, J. Li and J. Bunnell, 2007: Analysis of the first gigantic jet recorded over continental North America. J. Geophys. Res., 112, D20104, doi:10.1029/2007JD008575.
Williams, E.R., Y. Hobara, R. Boldi, W. Lyons, T. Nelson, B. Russell, V. Mushtak, G. Sátori, J. Bór, S. Cummer, C. Price, E. Greenberg, Y. Takahashi and R. Holzworth, 2008: Meteorological origin of Q-bursts and sprites over West Africa. Preprints 3rd Conference on Meteorological Applications of Lightning Data, AMS, New Orleans. 4 pp.
Williams, E.R., E. Downes, R. Boldi, W.A. Lyons and S. Heckman, 2007: The polarity asymmetry of sprite-producing lightning: A paradox? Radio Sci., 42, Special Issue on Schumann Resonances, RS2S17, doi: 10.1029/2006RS003488.
Williams, E.R. and Y. Yair 2006: The microphysical and electrical properties of sprite-producing thunderstorms. NATO Advanced Study Institute on Sprites, Elves and Intense Lightning Discharges, M. Fullekrug et al. (eds.), Springer 237–247.
Williams, E.R., 2001: Sprites, elves and glow discharge tubes. Phys. Today, November, 41.
Williams, E.R., 1998: The positive charge reservoir for sprite-producing lightning. J. Atmos. Sol. Terr. Phys., 60, 689–692.
Wilson, C.T.R., 1925: The electric field of a thunderstorm and some of its effects. Proc. Phys. Soc. Lond., 37, 32D–37D.
Yashunin, S.A., E.A. Mareev and V.A Rakov 2007: Are lightning M components capable of initiating sprites and sprite halos? J. Geophys. Res., 112, D10109, doi: 10.1029/2006JD007631.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2009 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Lyons, W.A. et al. (2009). The Meteorological and Electrical Structure of TLE-Producing Convective Storms. In: Betz, H.D., Schumann, U., Laroche, P. (eds) Lightning: Principles, Instruments and Applications. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9079-0_17
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9079-0_17
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-9078-3
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-9079-0
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)