HR: 1340h
AN: AE23A-0896    [Abstracts]
TI: Sprite Halos and Associated Lightning Characteristics over South America
AU: * Bailey, M A
EM: mattbailey@cc.usu.edu
AF: Center for Atmospheric and Space Sciences and Physics Dept., Utah State University, 4405 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84332-4405, United States
AU: Taylor, M J
EM: mtaylor@cc.usu.edu
AF: Center for Atmospheric and Space Sciences and Physics Dept., Utah State University, 4405 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84332-4405, United States
AU: Pautet, P D
EM: dominiquepautet@gmail.com
AF: Center for Atmospheric and Space Sciences and Physics Dept., Utah State University, 4405 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84332-4405, United States
AU: Cummer, S A
EM: cummer@ee.duke.edu
AF: Dept. of Electrical Engineering, Duke University, Box 90291, Durham, NC 27708, United States
AU: Jaugey, N
EM: nicolasj@duke.edu
AF: Dept. of Electrical Engineering, Duke University, Box 90291, Durham, NC 27708, United States
AU: Thomas, J N
EM: jnt@u.washington.edu
AF: Dept. of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Box 351310, Seattle, WA 98195, United States
AU: Thomas, J N
EM: jnt@u.washington.edu
AF: Geomagnetism Program, USGS, PO Box 25046, MS-966, Denver, CO 80225, United States
AU: Holzworth, R H
EM: bobholz@ess.washington.edu
AF: Dept. of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Box 351310, Seattle, WA 98195, United States
AB: As part of the Brazil Sprites II balloon campaign ground-based measurements were conducted from the Southern Space Observatory (SSO) near Santa Maria, Brazil (29.4 S, 53.8 W) during the summer 2006. Remarkably, over 580 transient luminous events (TLEs) were imaged from two large thunderstorms located over north-eastern Argentina on February 22-23 and March 3- 4 2006. The optical observations were made using two intensified CCD cameras arranged to view the low elevation sky with overlapping fields of view to capture the TLE information from the extensive storm systems. This poster focuses on the optical characteristics over 200 halos and sprite-halos with their associated polarity and charge moments as determined by an ELF-VLF lightning sensor also deployed at the SSO. The halo events from these two storms were overwhelmingly associated with positive lightning discharges, however at least 7 TLE's were associated with negative lightning strokes. In contrast, recent satellite measurements of halos over land-sea interfaces suggest that they are mainly associated with negative cloud-to-ground discharges. Coincident halo data with the World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN) have also enabled a detailed investigation of the altitude and apparent optical diameters of the halos and sprite halos.
DE: 0340 Middle atmosphere: composition and chemistry
DE: 3324 Lightning
DE: 3344 Paleoclimatology (0473, 4900)
DE: 7823 Ionization processes (2423)
SC: Atmospheric and Space Electricity [AE]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting