Evaluation of Different Storm Parameters as the Proxies for Gridded Total Lightning Flash Rates: A Convection-Allowing Model Study
Lightning simulation is important for a variety of applications, including lightning forecast, atmospheric chemical simulation, and lightning data assimilation. In this study, the potential of five storm parameters (graupel volume, precipitation ice mass, radar echo volume, maximum updraft, and updr...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Atmosphere |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/12/1/95 |
| _version_ | 1827602568320122880 |
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| author | Xinyao Qian Haoliang Wang |
| author_facet | Xinyao Qian Haoliang Wang |
| author_sort | Xinyao Qian |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Lightning simulation is important for a variety of applications, including lightning forecast, atmospheric chemical simulation, and lightning data assimilation. In this study, the potential of five storm parameters (graupel volume, precipitation ice mass, radar echo volume, maximum updraft, and updraft volume) to be used as the proxy for the diagnosis of gridded total lightning flash rates has been investigated in a convection-allowing model. A mesoscale convective system occurred in the Guangdong province of China was selected as the test case. Radar data assimilation was used to improve the simulation accuracy of the convective clouds, hence providing strong instantaneous correlations between observed and simulated storm signatures. The areal coverage and magnitude of the simulated lightning flash rates were evaluated by comparing to those of the total lightning observations. Subjective and the Fractions Skill Score (FSS) evaluations suggest that all the five proxies tested in this study are useful to indicate general tendencies for the occurrence, region, and time of lightning at convection-allowing scale (FSS statistics for the threshold of 1 flash per 9 km<sup>2</sup> per hour were around 0.7 for each scheme). The FSS values were decreasing as the lightning flash rate thresholds used for FSS computation increased for all the lightning diagnostic schemes with different proxies. For thresholds from 1 to 3 and 16 to 20 flashes per 9 km<sup>2</sup> per hour, the graupel contents related schemes achieved higher FSS values compared to the other three schemes. For thresholds from 5 to 15 flashes per 9 km<sup>2</sup> per hour, the updraft volume related scheme yielded the largest FSS. When the thresholds of lightning flash rates were greater than 13 flashes per 9 km<sup>2</sup> per hour, the FSS values were below 0.5 for all the lightning diagnostic schemes with different proxies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:20:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-83cf56fb14ca4638b02f71e8f01c465e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4433 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:20:14Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atmosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-83cf56fb14ca4638b02f71e8f01c465e2023-12-03T12:40:55ZengMDPI AGAtmosphere2073-44332021-01-011219510.3390/atmos12010095Evaluation of Different Storm Parameters as the Proxies for Gridded Total Lightning Flash Rates: A Convection-Allowing Model StudyXinyao Qian0Haoliang Wang1Precision Regional Earth Modeling and Information Center, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, ChinaPrecision Regional Earth Modeling and Information Center, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, ChinaLightning simulation is important for a variety of applications, including lightning forecast, atmospheric chemical simulation, and lightning data assimilation. In this study, the potential of five storm parameters (graupel volume, precipitation ice mass, radar echo volume, maximum updraft, and updraft volume) to be used as the proxy for the diagnosis of gridded total lightning flash rates has been investigated in a convection-allowing model. A mesoscale convective system occurred in the Guangdong province of China was selected as the test case. Radar data assimilation was used to improve the simulation accuracy of the convective clouds, hence providing strong instantaneous correlations between observed and simulated storm signatures. The areal coverage and magnitude of the simulated lightning flash rates were evaluated by comparing to those of the total lightning observations. Subjective and the Fractions Skill Score (FSS) evaluations suggest that all the five proxies tested in this study are useful to indicate general tendencies for the occurrence, region, and time of lightning at convection-allowing scale (FSS statistics for the threshold of 1 flash per 9 km<sup>2</sup> per hour were around 0.7 for each scheme). The FSS values were decreasing as the lightning flash rate thresholds used for FSS computation increased for all the lightning diagnostic schemes with different proxies. For thresholds from 1 to 3 and 16 to 20 flashes per 9 km<sup>2</sup> per hour, the graupel contents related schemes achieved higher FSS values compared to the other three schemes. For thresholds from 5 to 15 flashes per 9 km<sup>2</sup> per hour, the updraft volume related scheme yielded the largest FSS. When the thresholds of lightning flash rates were greater than 13 flashes per 9 km<sup>2</sup> per hour, the FSS values were below 0.5 for all the lightning diagnostic schemes with different proxies.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/12/1/95lightning simulationgridded total lightning flash ratesradar data assimilationconvective weatherconvection-allowing model |
| spellingShingle | Xinyao Qian Haoliang Wang Evaluation of Different Storm Parameters as the Proxies for Gridded Total Lightning Flash Rates: A Convection-Allowing Model Study Atmosphere lightning simulation gridded total lightning flash rates radar data assimilation convective weather convection-allowing model |
| title | Evaluation of Different Storm Parameters as the Proxies for Gridded Total Lightning Flash Rates: A Convection-Allowing Model Study |
| title_full | Evaluation of Different Storm Parameters as the Proxies for Gridded Total Lightning Flash Rates: A Convection-Allowing Model Study |
| title_fullStr | Evaluation of Different Storm Parameters as the Proxies for Gridded Total Lightning Flash Rates: A Convection-Allowing Model Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluation of Different Storm Parameters as the Proxies for Gridded Total Lightning Flash Rates: A Convection-Allowing Model Study |
| title_short | Evaluation of Different Storm Parameters as the Proxies for Gridded Total Lightning Flash Rates: A Convection-Allowing Model Study |
| title_sort | evaluation of different storm parameters as the proxies for gridded total lightning flash rates a convection allowing model study |
| topic | lightning simulation gridded total lightning flash rates radar data assimilation convective weather convection-allowing model |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/12/1/95 |
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