HR: 1340h
AN: AE33A-0183    [Abstracts]
TI: Understanding the spatio-temporal characteristics of Thunderstorms in African by means of long range lightning detection
AU: Anagnostou, E N
EM: manos@engr.uconn.edu
AF: University of Connecticut, CEE, U-37, Storrs, CT 06269 United States
AU: * Chronis, T
EM: tchronis@engr.uconn.edu
AF: University of Connecticut, CEE, U-37, Storrs, CT 06269 United States
AU: Tadesse, A
EM: alemu_t@yahoo.com
AF: University of Connecticut, CEE, U-37, Storrs, CT 06269 United States
AU: Morales, C A
EM: morales@model.iag.usp.br
AF: Universidade de Sao Paulo, Departamento de Ciˆncias Atmosf‚ricas, Sao Paulo, 05508-900 Brazil
AB: This study aims at studying the spatial and temporal variability and meteorology of Mesoscale Convective Systems (MCSs) in Africa. The research is facilitated by remotely sensed data that include instantaneous precipitation type and rain rate fields derived from TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) observations, continuous cloud-to-ground lightning observations and coincident «-hourly satellite Infrared fields. The CG lightning data are based on observations from a newly deployed long-range detection network in Africa (named Zeus; sifnos.engr.uconn.edu). Zeus retrieval error in location and the detection efficiency will be evaluated using NASA LIS observations as reference. A tracking technique will then be applied to the IR and lightning fields to study the evolution of clouds and convective precipitation in the region. A convective-stratiform rain estimation technique will be developed (using PR as reference) and validated against in situ data.
UR: http://sifnos.engr.uconn.edu
DE: 3324 Lightning
DE: 3354 Precipitation (1854)
DE: 3360 Remote sensing
DE: 3374 Tropical meteorology
DE: 3314 Convective processes
SC: Atmospheric and Space Electricity [AE]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting