HR: 08:30h
AN: AE11A-03 INVITED [Abstracts]
TI: Characteristics of Sprites and Elves and Their Effect on the Upper Atmosphere
AU: * Frey, H U
EM: hfrey@ssl.berkeley.edu
AF: Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
United States
AU: Mende, S B
EM: mende@ssl.berkeley.edu
AF: Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
United States
AU: Su, H
EM: htsu@phys.ncku.edu.tw
AF: Department of Physics, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, 70101
Taiwan
AU: Hsu, R
EM: rrhsu@phys.ncku.edu.tw
AF: Department of Physics, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, 70101
Taiwan
AU: Chen, A B
EM: alfred@phys.ncku.edu.tw
AF: Department of Physics, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, 70101
Taiwan
AU: Lee, L C
AE11A-03
AF: National Applied Research Laboratories, NARL, Taipei, 106
Taiwan
AU: Fukunishi, H
EM: fuku@pat.geophys.tohoku.ac.jp
AF: Department of Geophysics, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8578
Japan
AU: Takahashi, Y
EM: yukihiro@pat.geophys.tohoku.ac.jp
AF: Department of Geophysics, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8578
Japan
AB:
The Imager for Sprites and Upper Atmospheric Lightning (ISUAL) on FORMOSAT-2 is the first space-based instrument that is
dedicated to observe the spatial, spectral, and temporal characteristics of transient luminous events (TLE) like sprites and
elves on a global scale. It contains a fast CCD-camera to detect the spatial characteristics of the TLE. Photometers operate
in well known spectral ranges as for instance the N2-1P or N2-2P bands. In addition there are two photometers for the
far-UV and near-UV that are only observable from space due to the absorption by atmospheric O2 towards ground-based
instruments.
The first 1.5 years of operation provided data on the characteristics of the parent lightning and the following sprites and
elves. The spectral signatures of the TLE can be used to estimate the most likely electron energy in TLE and the
amount of upper atmospheric ionization. This presentation will summarize the initial results from ISUAL and will discuss the
potential of the collected data.
DE: 3304 Atmospheric electricity
DE: 3324 Lightning
DE: 3359 Radiative processes
SC: Atmospheric and Space Electricity [AE]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005