Open AccessGPS‐based mapping system reveals lightning inside storms
Author(s) -
Krehbiel Paul R.,
Thomas Ronald J.,
Rison William,
Hamlin Timothy,
Harlin Jeremiah,
Davis Michael
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1029/00eo00014
Subject(s) - storm , global positioning system , lightning (connector) , meteorology , lightning detection , thunderstorm , remote sensing , severe weather , upper atmospheric lightning , environmental science , electrification , atmospheric electricity , lightning strike , computer science , geology , geography , telecommunications , electricity , engineering , electrical engineering , power (physics) , physics , quantum mechanics , electric field
Great Plains storms are known for their ability to produce severe weather. They are also prodigious producers of lightning; just how prodigious has been vividly illustrated by observations in central Oklahoma with a new Global Positioning System (GPS)‐based lightning mapping system.The observations are useful not only for studying storm electrification but also provide a valuable indicator of storm structure and intensity. The system maps lightning in three spatial dimensions by measuring the times at which impulsive VHF radiation events arrive at a network of ground‐based measurement stations. Low‐cost GPS receivers provide sufficient timing accuracy to produce high‐quality pictures of the total lightning activity over a large area.