Electrical characteristics of an isolated supercell storm observed on 13 June 2014 over Beijing were investigated using lightning data obtained from the Beijing Lightning Network,radar reflectivity,and hydrometeor ret...Electrical characteristics of an isolated supercell storm observed on 13 June 2014 over Beijing were investigated using lightning data obtained from the Beijing Lightning Network,radar reflectivity,and hydrometeor retrievals during the 6-h lifetime.Positive cloud-to-ground(+CG)lightning took a high percentage of CG lightning.Before and during a hail event,+CG lightning was more frequent than negative cloud-to-ground(-CG)lightning,except that+CG lightning took a high percentage at the beginning and in the dissipating stage.After the hail event ended,-CG lightning dominated and reached its maximum value.An analysis of hydrometeors retrieved by X-band polarimetric radar revealed that the discharge concentrated in the convective region with graupel particles and hailstones,whereas graupel,snow and ice crystals in the stratiform region.Lightning radiation sources were located mainly in the convective region,some of which were distributed along a gradient of radar reflectivity from the convective region to the stratiform region.The indication is that the supercell demonstrated an inverted tripole charge structure before the hail event,which converted to a normal tripole structure after the hail event.展开更多
A thunderstorm tracking algorithm is proposed to nowcast the possibility of lightning activity over an area of concern by using the total lightning data and neighborhood technique.The lightning radiation sources obser...A thunderstorm tracking algorithm is proposed to nowcast the possibility of lightning activity over an area of concern by using the total lightning data and neighborhood technique.The lightning radiation sources observed from the Beijing Lightning Network(BLNET)were used to obtain information about the thunderstorm cells,which are significantly valuable in real-time.The boundaries of thunderstorm cells were obtained through the neighborhood technique.After smoothing,these boundaries were used to track the movement of thunderstorms and then extrapolated to nowcast the lightning approaching in an area of concern.The algorithm can deliver creditable results prior to a thunderstorm arriving at the area of concern,with accuracies of 63%,80%,and 91%for lead times of 30,15,and 5 minutes,respectively.The real-time observations of total lightning appear to be significant for thunderstorm tracking and lightning nowcasting,as total lightning tracking could help to fill the observational gaps in radar reflectivity due to the attenuation by hills or other obstacles.The lightning data used in the algorithm performs well in tracking the active thunderstorm cells associated with lightning activities.展开更多
Leader propagation is a fundamental issue in lightning physics. The propagation characteristics of positive leaders and negative leaders are summarized and compared based on data from high-speed camera and electromagn...Leader propagation is a fundamental issue in lightning physics. The propagation characteristics of positive leaders and negative leaders are summarized and compared based on data from high-speed camera and electromagnetic field in rocket-triggered lightning and tower-initiated lightning discharges; available channel base current data recorded in rocket-triggered lightning are also used. The negative leaders propagate in a stepped fashion accompanied by many branches. The stems ahead of the negative leader tip determine the manner and direction of the leader propagation, and even the branching and winding of the lightning channel. The impulsive current, electromagnetic field, and related optical images suggest that the positive leader may develop in a step-like fashion at its initial stage of triggered lightning. However, the stepping processes of the positive leader are obviously different from those of the negative leader. Tower-initiated lightning revealed that the most conspicuous characteristics of the stepwise positive leader involve the intermittent brush-like corona zone in front of the leader tip and the luminosity enhancement of the channel behind the tip. In rockettriggered lightning flashes, the charge transferred during an individual step for the negative leader was nearly an order greater than for the positive counterpart. The successive streamers ahead of the leader tip are essential for both negative and positive leader propagation, and the stems could be formed from one or more streamers in the previous negative streamer zone with the main leader channel dim. High-resolution observation of tower lightning also revealed a new type of bidirectional recoil leader, with polarity contrary to the traditional one, traversing in negative channels associated with tower-initiated and rocket-triggered lightning.展开更多
The Dynamical-microphysical-electrical Processes in Severe Thunderstorms and Lightning Hazards(STORM973)project conducted coordinated comprehensive field observations of thunderstorms in the Beijing metropolitan regio...The Dynamical-microphysical-electrical Processes in Severe Thunderstorms and Lightning Hazards(STORM973)project conducted coordinated comprehensive field observations of thunderstorms in the Beijing metropolitan region(BMR)during the warm season from 2014 to 2018.The aim of the project was to understand how dynamical,microphysical and electrical processes interact in severe thunderstorms in the BMR,and how to assimilate lightning data in numerical weather prediction models to improve severe thunderstorm forecasts.The platforms used in the field campaign included the Beijing Lightning Network(BLNET,consisting of 16 stations),2 X-band dual linear polarimetric Doppler radars,and 4 laser raindrop spectrometers.The collaboration also made use of the China Meteorological Administration’s mesoscale meteorological observation network in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.Although diverse thunderstorm types were documented,it was found that squall lines and multicell storms were the two major categories of severe thunderstorms with frequent lightning activity and extreme rainfall or unexpected local short-duration heavy rainfall resulting in inundations in the central urban area,influenced by the terrain and environmental conditions.The flash density maximums were found in eastern Changping District,central and eastern Shunyi District,and the central urban area of Beijing,suggesting that the urban heat island effect has a crucial role in the intensification of thunderstorms over Beijing.In addition,the flash rate associated with super thunderstorms can reach hundreds of flashes per minute in the central city regions.The super(5%of the total),strong(35%),and weak(60%)thunderstorms contributed about 37%,56%,and 7%to the total flashes in the BMR,respectively.Owing to the close connection between lightning activity and the thermodynamic and microphysical characteristics of the thunderstorms,the lightning flash rate can be used as an indicator of severe weather events,such as hail and short-duration heavy rainfall.Lightning data can also be assimilated into numerical weather prediction models to help improve the forecasting of severe convection and precipitation at the cloud-resolved scale,through adjusting or correcting the thermodynamic and microphysical parameters of the model.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.41875007 and 41630425)the Special Fund for Meteorology-Scientific Research in the Public Interest(Grant No.GYHY201506004)the 2018 Open Research Program of the State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather(Grant No.2018LASWB06)。
文摘Electrical characteristics of an isolated supercell storm observed on 13 June 2014 over Beijing were investigated using lightning data obtained from the Beijing Lightning Network,radar reflectivity,and hydrometeor retrievals during the 6-h lifetime.Positive cloud-to-ground(+CG)lightning took a high percentage of CG lightning.Before and during a hail event,+CG lightning was more frequent than negative cloud-to-ground(-CG)lightning,except that+CG lightning took a high percentage at the beginning and in the dissipating stage.After the hail event ended,-CG lightning dominated and reached its maximum value.An analysis of hydrometeors retrieved by X-band polarimetric radar revealed that the discharge concentrated in the convective region with graupel particles and hailstones,whereas graupel,snow and ice crystals in the stratiform region.Lightning radiation sources were located mainly in the convective region,some of which were distributed along a gradient of radar reflectivity from the convective region to the stratiform region.The indication is that the supercell demonstrated an inverted tripole charge structure before the hail event,which converted to a normal tripole structure after the hail event.
基金The National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.41630425,41761144074 and 41875007)supported the researchthe Chinese Academy of Sciences for the CAS-PIFI fellowship grant。
文摘A thunderstorm tracking algorithm is proposed to nowcast the possibility of lightning activity over an area of concern by using the total lightning data and neighborhood technique.The lightning radiation sources observed from the Beijing Lightning Network(BLNET)were used to obtain information about the thunderstorm cells,which are significantly valuable in real-time.The boundaries of thunderstorm cells were obtained through the neighborhood technique.After smoothing,these boundaries were used to track the movement of thunderstorms and then extrapolated to nowcast the lightning approaching in an area of concern.The algorithm can deliver creditable results prior to a thunderstorm arriving at the area of concern,with accuracies of 63%,80%,and 91%for lead times of 30,15,and 5 minutes,respectively.The real-time observations of total lightning appear to be significant for thunderstorm tracking and lightning nowcasting,as total lightning tracking could help to fill the observational gaps in radar reflectivity due to the attenuation by hills or other obstacles.The lightning data used in the algorithm performs well in tracking the active thunderstorm cells associated with lightning activities.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41630425, 41761144074)
文摘Leader propagation is a fundamental issue in lightning physics. The propagation characteristics of positive leaders and negative leaders are summarized and compared based on data from high-speed camera and electromagnetic field in rocket-triggered lightning and tower-initiated lightning discharges; available channel base current data recorded in rocket-triggered lightning are also used. The negative leaders propagate in a stepped fashion accompanied by many branches. The stems ahead of the negative leader tip determine the manner and direction of the leader propagation, and even the branching and winding of the lightning channel. The impulsive current, electromagnetic field, and related optical images suggest that the positive leader may develop in a step-like fashion at its initial stage of triggered lightning. However, the stepping processes of the positive leader are obviously different from those of the negative leader. Tower-initiated lightning revealed that the most conspicuous characteristics of the stepwise positive leader involve the intermittent brush-like corona zone in front of the leader tip and the luminosity enhancement of the channel behind the tip. In rockettriggered lightning flashes, the charge transferred during an individual step for the negative leader was nearly an order greater than for the positive counterpart. The successive streamers ahead of the leader tip are essential for both negative and positive leader propagation, and the stems could be formed from one or more streamers in the previous negative streamer zone with the main leader channel dim. High-resolution observation of tower lightning also revealed a new type of bidirectional recoil leader, with polarity contrary to the traditional one, traversing in negative channels associated with tower-initiated and rocket-triggered lightning.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.41630425,41671144074)the Key Research Program of Frontier Science,CAS(Grant No.QYZDJ-SSW-DQC007)the National Key Basic Research Program of China(Grant No.2014CB441401)。
文摘The Dynamical-microphysical-electrical Processes in Severe Thunderstorms and Lightning Hazards(STORM973)project conducted coordinated comprehensive field observations of thunderstorms in the Beijing metropolitan region(BMR)during the warm season from 2014 to 2018.The aim of the project was to understand how dynamical,microphysical and electrical processes interact in severe thunderstorms in the BMR,and how to assimilate lightning data in numerical weather prediction models to improve severe thunderstorm forecasts.The platforms used in the field campaign included the Beijing Lightning Network(BLNET,consisting of 16 stations),2 X-band dual linear polarimetric Doppler radars,and 4 laser raindrop spectrometers.The collaboration also made use of the China Meteorological Administration’s mesoscale meteorological observation network in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.Although diverse thunderstorm types were documented,it was found that squall lines and multicell storms were the two major categories of severe thunderstorms with frequent lightning activity and extreme rainfall or unexpected local short-duration heavy rainfall resulting in inundations in the central urban area,influenced by the terrain and environmental conditions.The flash density maximums were found in eastern Changping District,central and eastern Shunyi District,and the central urban area of Beijing,suggesting that the urban heat island effect has a crucial role in the intensification of thunderstorms over Beijing.In addition,the flash rate associated with super thunderstorms can reach hundreds of flashes per minute in the central city regions.The super(5%of the total),strong(35%),and weak(60%)thunderstorms contributed about 37%,56%,and 7%to the total flashes in the BMR,respectively.Owing to the close connection between lightning activity and the thermodynamic and microphysical characteristics of the thunderstorms,the lightning flash rate can be used as an indicator of severe weather events,such as hail and short-duration heavy rainfall.Lightning data can also be assimilated into numerical weather prediction models to help improve the forecasting of severe convection and precipitation at the cloud-resolved scale,through adjusting or correcting the thermodynamic and microphysical parameters of the model.
