Cloud-to-ground(CG)lightning data and the ECMWF ERA-Interim reanalysis dataset are analyzed to gain insight into the spatiotemporal distribution and synoptic background of winter-season CG flashes between December 201...Cloud-to-ground(CG)lightning data and the ECMWF ERA-Interim reanalysis dataset are analyzed to gain insight into the spatiotemporal distribution and synoptic background of winter-season CG flashes between December 2010 and February 2020 in China.We identify three Winter Lightning Frequent Areas(WLAs):the southwest side of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau(WLA1),the east side of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau(WLA2),and the Poyang Lake Plain(WLA3).The CG lightning flashes most frequently occur at local midnight and have a monthly peak in February.The CG lightning in WLA1 is mostly generated in non-frontal weather;however,the lightning in WLA2 and WLA3 mostly occurs in frontal systems.The frontal circulation situation is divided into four typical types:transversal trough after high pressure,low vortex,confrontational convergence,and asymptotic convergence.In all typical weather patterns,the lightning occurs downstream of a 500 hPa trough and is accompanied by a southwesterly low-level jet.The convective parameters of winter thunderstorms differ greatly from those of summer thunderstorms.The maximum convective available potential energy(MCAPE)and K-index(KI)are more useful metrics than convective available potential energy(CAPE)and Showalter index(SI)during winter.This study further deepens the understanding of the distribution characteristics of winter CG lightning in China,which motivates further research to improve the ability of winter thunderstorm prediction.展开更多
Based on the cloud-to-ground（ CG） lightning flashes data and other related data from 1999 to 2016,the lightning risk zoning of Meizhou was conducted by using the analytic hierarchy process（ AHP） model. The model c...Based on the cloud-to-ground（ CG） lightning flashes data and other related data from 1999 to 2016,the lightning risk zoning of Meizhou was conducted by using the analytic hierarchy process（ AHP） model. The model considered the natural conditions,social economic conditions and other factors,and the main assessment factors were selected,containing ＂ flash density,lightning current intensity,annual thunderstorm days,lightning disaster frequency,construction area per capita and GDP per capita＂,in order to establish the evaluation model,and divide the level of risk. The results showed that the lightning risk in Meizhou area roughly had the trend of ＂ center higher than all-around,the south higher than the north,the west higher than the east＂. High-risk area was in the most region of Meijiang District and central region of Meixian District,and Wuhua County was next high-risk area. Xingning City and Fengshun County were medium risk areas,most of the other were low risk area. The result of regionalization was consistent with the actual situation,and the evaluation method was scientific and effective. Through the analysis of the lightning risk zoning,this paper could provide a scientific basis for the lightning protection and disaster reduction in the region in the future.展开更多
Data from the Beijing SAFIR 3000 lightning detection system and Doppler radar provided some insights into the three-dimensional lightning structure and evolution of a leading-line and trailing-stratiform （LLTS） meso...Data from the Beijing SAFIR 3000 lightning detection system and Doppler radar provided some insights into the three-dimensional lightning structure and evolution of a leading-line and trailing-stratiform （LLTS） mesoscale convective system （MCS） over Beijing on 31 July 2007. Most of the lightning in the LLTS-MCS was intracloud （IC） lightning, while the mean ratio of positive cloud-to-ground （＋CG） lightning to –CG lightning was 1：4, which was higher than the average value from previous studies. The majority of CG lightning occurred in the convective region of the radar echo, particularly at the leading edge of the front. Little IC lightning and little ＋CG lightning occurred in the stratiform region. The distribution of the CG lightning indicated that the storm had a tilted dipole structure given the wind shear or the tripole charge structure. During the storm’s development, most of the IC lightning occurred at an altitude of ～9.5 km; the lightning rate reached its maximum at 10.5 km, the altitude of IC lightning in the mature stage of the storm. When the thunderstorm began to dissipate, the altitude of the IC lightning decreased gradually. The spatial distribution of lightning was well correlated with the rainfall on the ground, although the peak value of rainfall appeared 75 min later than the peak lightning rate.展开更多
We suggest a possible explanation of the influence of pre-seismic activity on the registration rate of natural ELF(extremely low frequency)/VLF(very low frequency) pulses and the changes of their characteristics. The ...We suggest a possible explanation of the influence of pre-seismic activity on the registration rate of natural ELF(extremely low frequency)/VLF(very low frequency) pulses and the changes of their characteristics. The main idea is as follows. The distribution of the electric field around a thundercloud depends on the conductivity profile of the atmosphere. Quasi-static electric fields of a thundercloud decrease in those tropospheric regions where an increase of air conductivity is generated by pre-seismic activities due to emanation of radioactive gas and water into the lower atmosphere. The electric field becomes reduced in the lower troposphere, and the probability decreases of the cloud-to-ground (CG) strokes in such “contaminated” areas. Simultaneously, the electric field grows inside and above the thunderclouds, and hence, we anticipate a growth in the number of horizontal and tilted inter-cloud (or intra-cloud) (both termed as IC discharges) strokes. Spatial orientation of lightning strokes reduces vertical projection of their individual amplitudes, while the rate (median number strokes per a unit time) of discharges grows. We demonstrate that channel tilt of strokes modifies the spectral content of ELF/VLF radio noise and changes the rate of detected pulses during the earthquake preparation phase.展开更多
The region of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei is covered by two different lightning detection networks： SAFIR （Systeme d＇Alerte Fondre par Interferometrie Radioelecctrique） for total lightning, including IntraCloud （IC） f...The region of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei is covered by two different lightning detection networks： SAFIR （Systeme d＇Alerte Fondre par Interferometrie Radioelecctrique） for total lightning, including IntraCloud （IC） flashes and Cloud-to-Ground （CG） flashes, and the ADTD （ADvanced TOA and Direction system; TOA denotes time of arrival） network of China for CG lightning. Fourteen isolated hail-bearing thunderstorms in this region were examined in this study, using the data of SAFIR and ADTD. The peak of lightning frequency, for both total lightning and CG lightning, was often observed in advance of the occurrence of hailstones on the ground, with a trend of a rapid increase of lightning frequency before the hail was reported. The average lead times of the two types of lightning jump before hail events were obtained （total lightning： 32.2 min; CG： 25.4 min） through the 2a lightning jump algorithm. Additionally, in hailstorms with a high ratio of positive CG flashes, the diameter of hail was larger and the duration of hail was longer; when negative CG flashes dominated, the diameter of hail was relatively small. The comparison of the characteristics of total lightning and CG flashes in hailstorms in this study is expected to serve as a supplementary tool for hail forecasting.展开更多
The research indicates that there is a positive correlation between the negative CG flash rate and the area of radar echo with its reflectivity being equal to or greater than 30 dBz in the mesoscale convective system ...The research indicates that there is a positive correlation between the negative CG flash rate and the area of radar echo with its reflectivity being equal to or greater than 30 dBz in the mesoscale convective system in Beijing area.A max- imum of the positive CG flash rate exists at both the initial and the dissipating stages.The CG flashes are usually located near but not within the high reflectivity center.The negative flashes are associated with.the positions of the updraft re- gion,and with the regions of wind convergence and wind shear.Generally,the negative CG flashes are concentrative and the positive ones are dispersive.展开更多
There were three hailstorms in Shandong Province, caused by a same northeast cold eddy situation on 1 June 2002. Cloud-to-ground （CG） flashes occurring in the weather event were observed by Shandong Lightning Detect...There were three hailstorms in Shandong Province, caused by a same northeast cold eddy situation on 1 June 2002. Cloud-to-ground （CG） flashes occurring in the weather event were observed by Shandong Lightning Detection Network （SLDN）, which consists of 10 sensors covering all over Shandong Province. The temporal and spatial distributions of CG lightning are investigated for the three hailstorms by using the data from SLDN, Doppler radar and satellite. The results show that different thunderstorms present different lightning features even if under the same synoptic situation. The percentage of positive CG lightning is very high during the period of hail falling. CG flashes mainly occurred in the region with a cloud top brightness temperature lower than -50℃. Negative CG flashes usually clustered in the lower temperature region and tended to occur in the region with maximum temperature gradient, while the positive ones usually spread discretely. Negative CG flashes usually occurred in intense echo regions with reflectivity greater than 50 dBz, while the positive CG flashes often occurred in weak and stable echo regions （10-30 dBz） or cloud anvils, although they can be observed in strong convective regions sometimes. Almost all haft falling took place in the stage with active positive flashes, and the peak positive flash rate is a little prior to the hail events. The thunderstorm could lead to disastrous weather when positive CG lightning activities occur in cluster. Severe thunderstorms sometimes present a low flash rate at its vigorous stage, which is probably caused by the ＂mechanism of chargeregion lift＂ through investigating the reflectivity evolution. Combined with the total lightning （intracloud and CG） data obtained by LIS onboard TRMM, the phenomenon of high ratio of intracloud flash to CG flash in severe hailstorm has been discussed. The competition of the same charge sources between different lightning types can also be helpful for explaining the cause of low CG lightning activities in severe storms.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.42075010)the National Key R&D Program of China(Grant No.2018YFC1507304,2018YFC1507402)。
文摘Cloud-to-ground(CG)lightning data and the ECMWF ERA-Interim reanalysis dataset are analyzed to gain insight into the spatiotemporal distribution and synoptic background of winter-season CG flashes between December 2010 and February 2020 in China.We identify three Winter Lightning Frequent Areas(WLAs):the southwest side of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau(WLA1),the east side of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau(WLA2),and the Poyang Lake Plain(WLA3).The CG lightning flashes most frequently occur at local midnight and have a monthly peak in February.The CG lightning in WLA1 is mostly generated in non-frontal weather;however,the lightning in WLA2 and WLA3 mostly occurs in frontal systems.The frontal circulation situation is divided into four typical types:transversal trough after high pressure,low vortex,confrontational convergence,and asymptotic convergence.In all typical weather patterns,the lightning occurs downstream of a 500 hPa trough and is accompanied by a southwesterly low-level jet.The convective parameters of winter thunderstorms differ greatly from those of summer thunderstorms.The maximum convective available potential energy(MCAPE)and K-index(KI)are more useful metrics than convective available potential energy(CAPE)and Showalter index(SI)during winter.This study further deepens the understanding of the distribution characteristics of winter CG lightning in China,which motivates further research to improve the ability of winter thunderstorm prediction.
基金Supported by the Science and Technology Plan Project in Meizhou Region(2016B204)
文摘Based on the cloud-to-ground（ CG） lightning flashes data and other related data from 1999 to 2016,the lightning risk zoning of Meizhou was conducted by using the analytic hierarchy process（ AHP） model. The model considered the natural conditions,social economic conditions and other factors,and the main assessment factors were selected,containing ＂ flash density,lightning current intensity,annual thunderstorm days,lightning disaster frequency,construction area per capita and GDP per capita＂,in order to establish the evaluation model,and divide the level of risk. The results showed that the lightning risk in Meizhou area roughly had the trend of ＂ center higher than all-around,the south higher than the north,the west higher than the east＂. High-risk area was in the most region of Meijiang District and central region of Meixian District,and Wuhua County was next high-risk area. Xingning City and Fengshun County were medium risk areas,most of the other were low risk area. The result of regionalization was consistent with the actual situation,and the evaluation method was scientific and effective. Through the analysis of the lightning risk zoning,this paper could provide a scientific basis for the lightning protection and disaster reduction in the region in the future.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No. 40930949)Key Subject Project of Beijing Atmospheric Physics and Environment,the One Hundred Person Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
文摘Data from the Beijing SAFIR 3000 lightning detection system and Doppler radar provided some insights into the three-dimensional lightning structure and evolution of a leading-line and trailing-stratiform （LLTS） mesoscale convective system （MCS） over Beijing on 31 July 2007. Most of the lightning in the LLTS-MCS was intracloud （IC） lightning, while the mean ratio of positive cloud-to-ground （＋CG） lightning to –CG lightning was 1：4, which was higher than the average value from previous studies. The majority of CG lightning occurred in the convective region of the radar echo, particularly at the leading edge of the front. Little IC lightning and little ＋CG lightning occurred in the stratiform region. The distribution of the CG lightning indicated that the storm had a tilted dipole structure given the wind shear or the tripole charge structure. During the storm’s development, most of the IC lightning occurred at an altitude of ～9.5 km; the lightning rate reached its maximum at 10.5 km, the altitude of IC lightning in the mature stage of the storm. When the thunderstorm began to dissipate, the altitude of the IC lightning decreased gradually. The spatial distribution of lightning was well correlated with the rainfall on the ground, although the peak value of rainfall appeared 75 min later than the peak lightning rate.
文摘We suggest a possible explanation of the influence of pre-seismic activity on the registration rate of natural ELF(extremely low frequency)/VLF(very low frequency) pulses and the changes of their characteristics. The main idea is as follows. The distribution of the electric field around a thundercloud depends on the conductivity profile of the atmosphere. Quasi-static electric fields of a thundercloud decrease in those tropospheric regions where an increase of air conductivity is generated by pre-seismic activities due to emanation of radioactive gas and water into the lower atmosphere. The electric field becomes reduced in the lower troposphere, and the probability decreases of the cloud-to-ground (CG) strokes in such “contaminated” areas. Simultaneously, the electric field grows inside and above the thunderclouds, and hence, we anticipate a growth in the number of horizontal and tilted inter-cloud (or intra-cloud) (both termed as IC discharges) strokes. Spatial orientation of lightning strokes reduces vertical projection of their individual amplitudes, while the rate (median number strokes per a unit time) of discharges grows. We demonstrate that channel tilt of strokes modifies the spectral content of ELF/VLF radio noise and changes the rate of detected pulses during the earthquake preparation phase.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41030960 and 41105122)Project for Integration and Application of Meteorological Key Technology by the China Meteorological Administration (CAMGJ2012M78)National Science and Technology Support Program of China (2008BAC36B04)
文摘The region of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei is covered by two different lightning detection networks： SAFIR （Systeme d＇Alerte Fondre par Interferometrie Radioelecctrique） for total lightning, including IntraCloud （IC） flashes and Cloud-to-Ground （CG） flashes, and the ADTD （ADvanced TOA and Direction system; TOA denotes time of arrival） network of China for CG lightning. Fourteen isolated hail-bearing thunderstorms in this region were examined in this study, using the data of SAFIR and ADTD. The peak of lightning frequency, for both total lightning and CG lightning, was often observed in advance of the occurrence of hailstones on the ground, with a trend of a rapid increase of lightning frequency before the hail was reported. The average lead times of the two types of lightning jump before hail events were obtained （total lightning： 32.2 min; CG： 25.4 min） through the 2a lightning jump algorithm. Additionally, in hailstorms with a high ratio of positive CG flashes, the diameter of hail was larger and the duration of hail was longer; when negative CG flashes dominated, the diameter of hail was relatively small. The comparison of the characteristics of total lightning and CG flashes in hailstorms in this study is expected to serve as a supplementary tool for hail forecasting.
基金supported by grants from State Planning Commission under Grants No.75-09-02-19
文摘The research indicates that there is a positive correlation between the negative CG flash rate and the area of radar echo with its reflectivity being equal to or greater than 30 dBz in the mesoscale convective system in Beijing area.A max- imum of the positive CG flash rate exists at both the initial and the dissipating stages.The CG flashes are usually located near but not within the high reflectivity center.The negative flashes are associated with.the positions of the updraft re- gion,and with the regions of wind convergence and wind shear.Generally,the negative CG flashes are concentrative and the positive ones are dispersive.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos.40505001 and 40325013,and Meteorological Foundation of Shandong Province (2005sdqxj01).
文摘There were three hailstorms in Shandong Province, caused by a same northeast cold eddy situation on 1 June 2002. Cloud-to-ground （CG） flashes occurring in the weather event were observed by Shandong Lightning Detection Network （SLDN）, which consists of 10 sensors covering all over Shandong Province. The temporal and spatial distributions of CG lightning are investigated for the three hailstorms by using the data from SLDN, Doppler radar and satellite. The results show that different thunderstorms present different lightning features even if under the same synoptic situation. The percentage of positive CG lightning is very high during the period of hail falling. CG flashes mainly occurred in the region with a cloud top brightness temperature lower than -50℃. Negative CG flashes usually clustered in the lower temperature region and tended to occur in the region with maximum temperature gradient, while the positive ones usually spread discretely. Negative CG flashes usually occurred in intense echo regions with reflectivity greater than 50 dBz, while the positive CG flashes often occurred in weak and stable echo regions （10-30 dBz） or cloud anvils, although they can be observed in strong convective regions sometimes. Almost all haft falling took place in the stage with active positive flashes, and the peak positive flash rate is a little prior to the hail events. The thunderstorm could lead to disastrous weather when positive CG lightning activities occur in cluster. Severe thunderstorms sometimes present a low flash rate at its vigorous stage, which is probably caused by the ＂mechanism of chargeregion lift＂ through investigating the reflectivity evolution. Combined with the total lightning （intracloud and CG） data obtained by LIS onboard TRMM, the phenomenon of high ratio of intracloud flash to CG flash in severe hailstorm has been discussed. The competition of the same charge sources between different lightning types can also be helpful for explaining the cause of low CG lightning activities in severe storms.
