Lightning: Principles, Instruments and Applications: Review of Modern Lightning Research

641 Pages·2008·1.41 MB·English

by  Hans Dieter Betz

Lightning: Principles, Instruments and Applications
· ·
Hans Dieter Betz Ulrich Schumann
Pierre Laroche
Editors
Lightning: Principles,
Instruments and Applications
Review of Modern Lightning Research
123
Editors
Prof.Dr.HansDieterBetz Prof.Dr.PierreLaroche
PhysicsDepartment Physics,InstrumentationandSensing
UniversityofMunich DepartmentONERA
AmCoulombwall1 29avenuedelaDivision
85748Garching Leclerc,BP72
Germany 92322Chatillon
[email protected] France
[email protected]
Prof.Dr.UlrichSchumann
DeutschesZentrumfu¨r
Luft-undRaumfahrt
Institutfu¨rPhysikderAtmospha¨re
82230Oberpfaffenhofen
Germany
[email protected]
ISBN:978-1-4020-9078-3 e-ISBN:978-1-4020-9079-0
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2008937155
(cid:2)c SpringerScience+BusinessMediaB.V.2009
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Cover images (from left to right):Photographoflightning flash triggeredat camp Blanding,Florida
(courtesyofUniversityofFloridaLightningResearchGroup).Radar(secondleft)andAntenna(back-
ground)-courtesyofnowcastGmbH,[email protected]
dimensionalviewofathunderstorm,enabledbythetotal-lightningcapabilityofLINET(courtesyof
nowcastGmbH,Munich).
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Preface
Lightning is a natural phenomenon that has always produced much impact on
humans and their societies, mainly because of its impressive appearance and the
threats imposed on life and structures. As one consequence, modern lightning re-
searchcontinuestodevelopeffectivetoolsandproceduressuitedtorecognizesevere
thunderstorms and to generate reliable alert. During the long time of past light-
ning investigation, much understanding of the discharge processes has been gath-
ered and efficient detection techniques have been implemented. Today, numerous
institutions all over the world deal with unraveling the numerous questions about
lightningthathaveremainedopen,withmuchsuccess,butasistypicalforresearch
in subjects of natural science, the complexity of the phenomena defies fast and
comprehensive clarification. Meanwhile, the many competent research efforts and
their impressive results render it impossible to present the gathered knowledge in
asinglebook.Thus,thepresentmonographisdesignedtodescribein27chapters
merely some of the highlights of current research. Moreover, the topics have been
selected to elucidate the lightning phenomena that are readily understandable by
a general, educated readership, rather than addressing only specialists in the field.
Accordingly, a more deeply interested reader is referred to the ample reports in
literature.
Atfirst,thebasicphenomenon–thelightningreturnstroke–isintroducedand
inthefirstfourchapters,somefundamentalcharginganddischargemechanismsare
illustrated by Baba and Rakov, Rakov, Stolzenburg and Marshall, and Tessendorf.
ThefollowingfivechaptersdescribelightningdetectionnetworksinEurope(Betz
etal.),Italy(Biron),Spain(PinedaandMontanya),Australia(Kuleshovetal.),and
Brazil(Pintoetal.).Systemsthatallowmappingoflightningchannelsaredescribed
in two chapters (Defer and Laroche, and Lojou et al.), followed by three chapters
thatdealwithlightningobservationsfromspace(Finke,Adamoetal.,andHamlin
et al.). Dwyer explains the close coincidence between lightning and high-energy
radiation. In the next three chapters the connection between lightning and higher
atmosphere effects is depicted, including Schumann resonances that travel around
theglobe(Satorietal.),andspritesthatshowuphighabovethunderclouds(Lyons
etal.,Farges).Thesubsequentfivechaptersdescribetherelationbetweenlightning
and micro-physical parameters (Katsanos et al.), precipitation (Soula), and strong
storms(Dombai,DotzekandPrice,TuomiandMa¨kela¨).Threechaptersaredevoted
v
vi Preface
to climate (Price), and chemistry and climate (Grewe, Pickering et al.). Finally,
Lobodasummarizesimportantaspectsaboutlightningprotection.
Althoughcurrenttopicsofimportanceareaddressedsothatthereaderreceives
a quite comprehensive view about the status of modern lightning research, many
worthwhile techniques, procedures, and associated aspects are not covered. Nev-
ertheless, the presented material informs about our understanding of the lightning
discharge, and works out the many open questions that are often fascinating and
deservefutureattention.
HansD.Betz
U.Schumann
P.Laroche
Contents
1 PresentUnderstandingoftheLightningReturnStroke ............. 1
YoshihiroBabaandVladimirA.Rakov
2 TriggeredLightning ............................................ 23
VladimirA.Rakov
3 ElectricFieldandChargeStructureinLightning-ProducingClouds . 57
MaribethStolzenburgandThomasC.Marshall
4 CharacteristicsofLightninginSupercells......................... 83
SarahA.Tessendorf
5 LINET–AnInternationalVLF/LFLightningDetectionNetwork
inEurope .....................................................115
HansD.Betz,KerstenSchmidtandWolfP.Oettinger
6 LAMPINET–LightningDetectioninItaly........................141
DanieleBiron
7 LightningDetectioninSpain:TheParticularCaseofCatalonia .....161
NicolauPinedaandJoanMontanya`
8 Spatial Distribution and Frequency of Thunderstorms
andLightninginAustralia ......................................187
YuriyKuleshov,DavidMackerrasandMatDarveniza
9 Cloud-to-GroundLightningObservationsinBrazil ................209
Osmar Pinto Jr., Iara R.C.A. Pinto, Marcelo M.F. Saba and
KleberP.Naccarato
vii
viii Contents
10 Observation and Interpretation of Lightning Flashes
withElectromagneticLightningMapper..........................231
EricDeferandPierreLaroche
11 NowcastingofThunderstormsUsingVHFMeasurements ..........253
Jean-Yves Lojou, Martin J. Murphy, Ronald L. Holle and
NicholasW.S.Demetriades
12 OpticalDetectionofLightningfromSpace ........................271
UllrichFinke
13 Space-andGround-BasedStudiesofLightningSignatures..........287
TimothyHamlin,KyleC.Wiens,AbramR.Jacobson,TracyE.L.Light
andKennethB.Eack
14 Lightning Measurements from Satellites and Significance
forStormsintheMediterranean.................................309
Claudia Adamo, Steve Goodman, Alberto Mugnai
andJamesA.Weinman
15 EnergeticRadiationandLightning...............................331
JosephR.Dwyer
16 SchumannResonanceSignaturesofGlobalLightningActivity ......347
GabriellaSa´tori,VadimMushtakandEarleWilliams
17 The Meteorological and Electrical Structure
ofTLE-ProducingConvectiveStorms ............................387
Walter A. Lyons, CCM, Mark A. Stanley, Jonathan D. Meyer,
Thomas E. Nelson, Steven A. Rutledge, Timothy L. Lang
andStevenA.Cummer
18 InfrasoundfromLightningandSprites ...........................417
ThomasFarges
19 Lightning in the Mediterranean in Relation with Cloud
MicrophysicalParameters ......................................433
DimitriosKatsanos,VassilikiKotroniandKostasLagouvardos
20 LightningandPrecipitation .....................................447
SergeSoula
Contents ix
21 Comparative Analysis of Flash and Radar Characteristics
ofThunderstormCells..........................................465
FerencDombai
22 LightningCharacteristicsofExtremeWeatherEvents..............487
NikolaiDotzekandColinPrice
23 FlashCellsinThunderstorms ...................................509
TapioJ.TuomiandAnttiMa¨kela¨
24 Thunderstorms,LightningandClimateChange ...................521
ColinPrice
25 ImpactofLightningonAirChemistryandClimate ................537
VolkerGrewe
26 LightningandNO ProductioninGlobalModels..................551
X
KennethPickering,HeidiHuntrieserandUlrichSchumann
27 LightningProtectionofStructures ...............................573
MarekŁoboda
ColorPlateSection .................................................593
Index .............................................................633
Contributors
Claudia Adamo Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, Italian National
ResearchCouncil,Roma,Italy,[email protected]
Yoshihiro Baba Department of Electrical Engineering, Doshisha University, 1-3
Miyakodani,Tatara,Kyotanabe,Kyoto610-0321,Japan,
[email protected]
Daniele Biron Centro Nazionale di Meteorologia e Climatologia Aeronautica,
AeroportoMilitare“DeBernardis”–ViaPraticadiMare,45,00040Pomezia(RM),
Italy,[email protected]
StevenA.Cummer DukeUniversity,Durham,NC27708,USA,
[email protected]
Mat Darveniza School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering,
UniversityofQueensland,andLightningandTransientProtectionPtyLtd,Brisbane,
Australia
EricDefer LERMA-ObservatoiredeParis,France,[email protected]
Nicholas W. S. Demetriades Vaisala Inc, Tucson Operations, 2705 East Medina
Road,Tucson,AZ85706,USA,[email protected]
Ferenc Dombai Hungarian Meteorological Service, Gilice te´r 1. 1156, 1181
Budapest,Hungary,[email protected]
Nikolai Dotzek Deutsches Zentrum fu¨r Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), Institut
fu¨r Physik der Atmospha¨re, Oberpfaffenhofen, 82234 Wessling, Germany,
[email protected]; European Severe Storms Laboratory, Mu¨nchner Str. 20,
82234Wessling,Germany,[email protected]
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