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A review of advances in lightning observations during the past decade in Guangdong, China

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Abstract

This paper reviews recent advances in understanding the physical processes of artificially triggered lightning and natural lightning as well as the progress in testing lightning protection technologies, based on a series of lightning field campaigns jointly conducted by the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences and Guangdong Meteorological Bureau since 2006. During the decade-long series of lightning field experiments, the technology of rocket-wire artificially triggered lightning has been improved, and has successfully triggered 94 lightning flashes. Through direct lightning current waveform measurements, an average return stroke peak current of 16 kA was obtained. The phenomenon that the downward leader connects to the lateral surface of the upward leader in the attachment process was discovered, and the speed of the upward leader during the connection process being significantly greater than that of the downward leader was revealed. The characteristics of several return strokes in cloud-to-ground lighting have also been unveiled, and the mechanism causing damage to lightning protection devices (i.e., ground potential rise within the rated current) was established. The performance of three lightning monitoring systems in Guangdong Province has also been quantitatively assessed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Lightning Physics and Protection Engineering/State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China

    Yijun Zhang  (张义军), Weitao Lü  (吕伟涛), Dong Zheng  (郑 栋), Yang Zhang  (张 阳) & Jianru Dan  (但建茹)

  2. Guangzhou Institute of Tropical and Marine Meteorology/Key Laboratory of Regional Numerical Weather Prediction, China Meteorological Administration, Guangzhou, 510080, China

    Shaodong Chen  (陈绍东), Xu Yan  (颜 旭) & Lüwen Chen  (陈绿文)

  3. Conghua Meteorological Bureau, Guangzhou, 510900, China

    Wansheng Dong  (董万胜) & Hanbo Pan  (潘汉波)

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  1. Yijun Zhang  (张义军)
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  2. Weitao Lü  (吕伟涛)
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  3. Shaodong Chen  (陈绍东)
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  4. Dong Zheng  (郑 栋)
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  5. Yang Zhang  (张 阳)
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  6. Xu Yan  (颜 旭)
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  7. Lüwen Chen  (陈绿文)
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  8. Wansheng Dong  (董万胜)
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  9. Jianru Dan  (但建茹)
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  10. Hanbo Pan  (潘汉波)
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yijun Zhang  (张义军).

Additional information

Supported by the National Key Basic Research Program of China (2014CB441406 and 2014CB441405), and in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41475003 and 51420105011) and Basic Research Fund of the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences (2015Z006 and 2014R015).

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Zhang, Y., Lü, W., Chen, S. et al. A review of advances in lightning observations during the past decade in Guangdong, China. J Meteorol Res 30, 800–819 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13351-016-6928-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13351-016-6928-7

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