FORTE Measurements of Global Lightning Altitudes
Abstract While multiple lightning detection systems provide geographical locations of lightning events across the globe, robust lightning altitude measurements on a global scale have proven elusive. Space‐based platforms have an advantageous viewing geometry for making these measurements, but prior...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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American Geophysical Union (AGU)
2022-09-01
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| Series: | Earth and Space Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2022EA002404 |
| _version_ | 1798000223899877376 |
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| author | Michael Peterson |
| author_facet | Michael Peterson |
| author_sort | Michael Peterson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract While multiple lightning detection systems provide geographical locations of lightning events across the globe, robust lightning altitude measurements on a global scale have proven elusive. Space‐based platforms have an advantageous viewing geometry for making these measurements, but prior studies with the Fast On‐orbit Recording of Transient Events (FORTE) satellite were limited to a few thousand events. In this study, we apply the same technique for calculating source altitude from the previous efforts to a large catalog of hundreds of thousands of global FORTE in‐cloud lightning events that were coincident with flashes geolocated by its lightning imager between 1997 and 2003. We use this new data set to document global variations in lightning altitude. As in previous studies, we find that FORTE primarily resolves sources from the upper (positive) charge layer at ∼11 km altitude in normal thunderstorms. However, sources are also recorded from other charge layers in the storm and from leaders developing between layers. In particular, we note a pronounced increase in source altitude in the first 20 ms of FORTE flashes from the negative leader developing upward into the upper positive charge layer. Regions known for wintertime and/or stratiform lightning have increased contributions from low‐altitude sources, while tropical regions particularly around Panama and the Maritime Continent have the greatest concentrations of high‐altitude sources. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T11:16:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fb14e79eec2d499ba4f405c51e6dda62 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2333-5084 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T11:16:46Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | American Geophysical Union (AGU) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Earth and Space Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-fb14e79eec2d499ba4f405c51e6dda622022-12-22T04:27:11ZengAmerican Geophysical Union (AGU)Earth and Space Science2333-50842022-09-0199n/an/a10.1029/2022EA002404FORTE Measurements of Global Lightning AltitudesMichael Peterson0Los Alamos National Laboratory ISR‐2 Los Alamos NM USAAbstract While multiple lightning detection systems provide geographical locations of lightning events across the globe, robust lightning altitude measurements on a global scale have proven elusive. Space‐based platforms have an advantageous viewing geometry for making these measurements, but prior studies with the Fast On‐orbit Recording of Transient Events (FORTE) satellite were limited to a few thousand events. In this study, we apply the same technique for calculating source altitude from the previous efforts to a large catalog of hundreds of thousands of global FORTE in‐cloud lightning events that were coincident with flashes geolocated by its lightning imager between 1997 and 2003. We use this new data set to document global variations in lightning altitude. As in previous studies, we find that FORTE primarily resolves sources from the upper (positive) charge layer at ∼11 km altitude in normal thunderstorms. However, sources are also recorded from other charge layers in the storm and from leaders developing between layers. In particular, we note a pronounced increase in source altitude in the first 20 ms of FORTE flashes from the negative leader developing upward into the upper positive charge layer. Regions known for wintertime and/or stratiform lightning have increased contributions from low‐altitude sources, while tropical regions particularly around Panama and the Maritime Continent have the greatest concentrations of high‐altitude sources.https://doi.org/10.1029/2022EA002404lightningaltitudesatellitethunderstormremote sensingFORTE |
| spellingShingle | Michael Peterson FORTE Measurements of Global Lightning Altitudes Earth and Space Science lightning altitude satellite thunderstorm remote sensing FORTE |
| title | FORTE Measurements of Global Lightning Altitudes |
| title_full | FORTE Measurements of Global Lightning Altitudes |
| title_fullStr | FORTE Measurements of Global Lightning Altitudes |
| title_full_unstemmed | FORTE Measurements of Global Lightning Altitudes |
| title_short | FORTE Measurements of Global Lightning Altitudes |
| title_sort | forte measurements of global lightning altitudes |
| topic | lightning altitude satellite thunderstorm remote sensing FORTE |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2022EA002404 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT michaelpeterson fortemeasurementsofgloballightningaltitudes |