HR: 1330h
AN: AE22A-1105    [PDF]
TI: Lightning Initiation Locations as a Remote Sensing Tool of Large Thunderstorm Electric Fields
AU: * Maggio, C R
EM: crmaggio@olemiss.edu
AF: University of Mississippi, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University, MS 38677 United States
AU: Coleman, L M
EM: leonidas@phy.olemiss.edu
AF: University of Mississippi, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University, MS 38677 United States
AU: Marshall, T C
EM: marshall@olemiss.edu
AF: University of Mississippi, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University, MS 38677 United States
AU: Stolzenburg, M
EM: mstolzen@phy.olemiss.edu
AF: University of Mississippi, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University, MS 38677 United States
AU: Stanley, M A
EM: stanleym@lanl.gov
AF: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Space and Atmospheric Sciences, NIS-1, MS D466, Los Alamos, NM 87545 United States
AU: Hamlin, T
EM: thamlin@nmt.edu
AF: New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Geophysical Research Center, Socorro, NM 87801 United States
AU: Krehbiel, P R
EM: krehbiel@ibis.nmt.edu
AF: New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Geophysical Research Center, Socorro, NM 87801 United States
AU: Rison, W
EM: rison@ee.nmt.edu
AF: New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Geophysical Research Center, Socorro, NM 87801 United States
AU: Thomas, R J
EM: thomas@nmt.edu
AF: New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Geophysical Research Center, Socorro, NM 87801 United States
AB: In this presentation we compare lightning data recorded with a three-dimensional lightning mapping array (LMA) with a flat plate antenna operated both as a 'slow' antenna and as a 'fast' antenna. The goal of these comparisons is to quantify any time delay that may exist between the initial responses of the instruments to a lightning flash. The data consists of 74 flashes from a single New Mexico thunderstorm. We find that the initial radiation source detected by the LMA usually leads the initiation response of both the slow and fast antennas. In a small number of cases, the flat plate antenna response leads the initial LMA source, but by no more than 2 milliseconds. Our observations of such close time coincidence suggest that the first LMA radiation source of each flash was located at or very near the flash initiation point. Thus, the first LMA radiation source detected from a lightning flash could be used as a remote sensing tool to find the locations of large electric fields within lightning producing clouds.
DE: 3304 Atmospheric electricity
DE: 3324 Lightning
DE: 3360 Remote sensing
DE: 3394 Instruments and techniques
SC: Atmospheric and Space Electricity [AE]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting