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Thunderstorm-related variations in the sporadic E layer around Rome

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Abstract

Superposed epoch analysis (SEA) was used to study possibly statistically significant variations of the critical frequency (foEs) and virtual height (h’Es) of the sporadic E layer (Es) related to thunderstorm activity generated in the troposphere. The reference time for the SEA was the time of lightning strokes measured by the World Wide Lightning Location Network at the ionosonde station of Rome (41.9\(^\circ \)N, 12.5\(^\circ \)E) during the year 2009. The results obtained reveal that: (a) a statistically significant decrease of foEs after the time of lightnings has been found for time windows of \(\pm \)100 h; (b) the effects of thunderstorms on the ionosphere is larger when the thunderstorm approaches from the opposite direction to the mean neutral stratosphere–mesosphere wind flow; (c). a statistically significant decrease of foEs related to thunderstorms during nighttime was observed. No significant changes in foEs and hEs over the seasonal time scale as well as in the latter parameter in the three (a–c) cases related to thunderstorms.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the WWLLN (World Wide Lightning Location Network) for providing lightning data. This study was supported by the TAMOP-4.2.2.C11/1/KONV-2012-0015 (Earth-system) project sponsored by the EU and European Social Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geodetic and Geophysical Institute, Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Csatkai str. 6-8., Sopron, 9400, Hungary

    Veronika Barta, Pál Bencze & Gabriella Sátori

  2. Kitaibel Pál Doctoral School of Environmental Science, University of West Hungary, Bajcsy-Zsilinszky str. 4., Sopron, 9400, Hungary

    Veronika Barta

  3. National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology, Via di Vigna Murata, 605, 00143, Rome, Italy

    Marco Pietrella & Carlo Scotto

Authors
  1. Veronika Barta
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  2. Marco Pietrella
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  3. Carlo Scotto
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  4. Pál Bencze
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  5. Gabriella Sátori
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Correspondence to Veronika Barta.

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Barta, V., Pietrella, M., Scotto, C. et al. Thunderstorm-related variations in the sporadic E layer around Rome. Acta Geod Geophys 50, 261–270 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40328-015-0098-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40328-015-0098-4

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