Changes to the Appearance of Optical Lightning Flashes Observed From Space According to Thunderstorm Organization and Structure.

ABSTRACT: Optical lightning observations from space reveal a wide range of flash structure. Lightning imagers such as the Geostationary Lightning Mapper and Lightning Imaging Sensor measure flash appearance by recording transient changes in cloud top illumination. The spatial and temporal optical energy distributions reported by these instruments depend on the physical structure of the flash and the distribution of hydrometeors within the thundercloud that scatter and absorb the optical emissions. This study explores how flash appearance changes according to the scale and organization of the parent thunderstorms with a focus on mesoscale convective systems. Clouds near the storm edge are frequently illuminated by large optical flashes that remain stationary between groups. These flashes appear large

SUBMITTER: Peterson M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7268918 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature