Spatiotemporal Variability of Lightning Activity over the Railway Network in Sri Lanka with Special Attention to the Proposed Suburban Railway Electrification Network
This study is oriented towards the investigation of the spatiotemporal variability of the lightning activity over the railway network in Sri Lanka using -lightning data from 1998 to 2014 that were downloaded from the database of Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) onboard NASA’s Tropical Rainfall Measuri...
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MDPI AG
2022-07-01
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Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2412-3811/7/7/92 |
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author | Uruvitiya Gamage Dilaj Maduranga Mahesh Edirisinghe Niranga Alahacoon Manjula Ranagalage |
author_facet | Uruvitiya Gamage Dilaj Maduranga Mahesh Edirisinghe Niranga Alahacoon Manjula Ranagalage |
author_sort | Uruvitiya Gamage Dilaj Maduranga |
collection | DOAJ |
description | This study is oriented towards the investigation of the spatiotemporal variability of the lightning activity over the railway network in Sri Lanka using -lightning data from 1998 to 2014 that were downloaded from the database of Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) onboard NASA’s Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM). The study has also been extended to study the lightning activity over the proposed suburban railway electrification network. GIS was used to conduct an annual and seasonal analysis of the railway network, which consists of nine major railway lines, to identify vulnerable stations and segments. The average annual lightning flash density over a 1447 km-long railway network of Sri Lanka varies between 5.08–16.58 flashes/(km<sup>2</sup> year). The railway lines run across the western and southern regions of the country have been identified as being in areas with higher lightning activity. In comparison to other railway lines, the Kelani Valley line in the Colombo district and Colombo-Maradana to Polgahawela segment of the Mainline are particularly vulnerable to lightning activity. These areas have also been recognized as regions with higher population density. The proposed 102 km long railway electrification network in Sri Lanka is also within higher population density segments, with higher lightning flash density values between 10.55–16.53 flashes/(km<sup>2</sup>⋅year). As a result, to improve the operational efficiency of the proposed electrification network, a fully coordinated lightning protection system in accordance with the findings of this study is strongly suggested. |
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institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 2412-3811 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:17:46Z |
publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
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series | Infrastructures |
spelling | doaj.art-d390dbd694384c3bbee53f977725c37d2023-12-01T22:17:03ZengMDPI AGInfrastructures2412-38112022-07-01779210.3390/infrastructures7070092Spatiotemporal Variability of Lightning Activity over the Railway Network in Sri Lanka with Special Attention to the Proposed Suburban Railway Electrification NetworkUruvitiya Gamage Dilaj Maduranga0Mahesh Edirisinghe1Niranga Alahacoon2Manjula Ranagalage3Department of Physics, University of Colombo, Colombo 00300, Sri LankaDepartment of Physics, University of Colombo, Colombo 00300, Sri LankaInternational Water Management Institute (IWMI), 127, Sunil Mawatha, Pelawatte, Batteramulla, Colombo 10120, Sri LankaDepartment of Environmental Management, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Mihintale 50300, Sri LankaThis study is oriented towards the investigation of the spatiotemporal variability of the lightning activity over the railway network in Sri Lanka using -lightning data from 1998 to 2014 that were downloaded from the database of Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) onboard NASA’s Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM). The study has also been extended to study the lightning activity over the proposed suburban railway electrification network. GIS was used to conduct an annual and seasonal analysis of the railway network, which consists of nine major railway lines, to identify vulnerable stations and segments. The average annual lightning flash density over a 1447 km-long railway network of Sri Lanka varies between 5.08–16.58 flashes/(km<sup>2</sup> year). The railway lines run across the western and southern regions of the country have been identified as being in areas with higher lightning activity. In comparison to other railway lines, the Kelani Valley line in the Colombo district and Colombo-Maradana to Polgahawela segment of the Mainline are particularly vulnerable to lightning activity. These areas have also been recognized as regions with higher population density. The proposed 102 km long railway electrification network in Sri Lanka is also within higher population density segments, with higher lightning flash density values between 10.55–16.53 flashes/(km<sup>2</sup>⋅year). As a result, to improve the operational efficiency of the proposed electrification network, a fully coordinated lightning protection system in accordance with the findings of this study is strongly suggested.https://www.mdpi.com/2412-3811/7/7/92lightninglightning safetyrailway networkrailway safetytransportation safety |
spellingShingle | Uruvitiya Gamage Dilaj Maduranga Mahesh Edirisinghe Niranga Alahacoon Manjula Ranagalage Spatiotemporal Variability of Lightning Activity over the Railway Network in Sri Lanka with Special Attention to the Proposed Suburban Railway Electrification Network Infrastructures lightning lightning safety railway network railway safety transportation safety |
title | Spatiotemporal Variability of Lightning Activity over the Railway Network in Sri Lanka with Special Attention to the Proposed Suburban Railway Electrification Network |
title_full | Spatiotemporal Variability of Lightning Activity over the Railway Network in Sri Lanka with Special Attention to the Proposed Suburban Railway Electrification Network |
title_fullStr | Spatiotemporal Variability of Lightning Activity over the Railway Network in Sri Lanka with Special Attention to the Proposed Suburban Railway Electrification Network |
title_full_unstemmed | Spatiotemporal Variability of Lightning Activity over the Railway Network in Sri Lanka with Special Attention to the Proposed Suburban Railway Electrification Network |
title_short | Spatiotemporal Variability of Lightning Activity over the Railway Network in Sri Lanka with Special Attention to the Proposed Suburban Railway Electrification Network |
title_sort | spatiotemporal variability of lightning activity over the railway network in sri lanka with special attention to the proposed suburban railway electrification network |
topic | lightning lightning safety railway network railway safety transportation safety |
url | https://www.mdpi.com/2412-3811/7/7/92 |
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