Open AccessThe hundred year hunt for the sprite
Author(s) -
Lyons Walter A.,
Armstrong Russell A.,
Bering E. A.,
Williams Earle R.
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 - 10.1029/00eo00278
Subject(s) - sprite (computer graphics) , thunderstorm , atmosphere (unit) , meteorology , geography , environmental science , remote sensing , computer science , computer vision
The scientific community's perception of the middle atmosphere above thunderstorms as “uninteresting” changed completely in the last decade. Today, a host of lightning‐related Transient Luminous Events (TLEs) have been identified, including sprites, blue jets, elves, sprite halos, and trolls. Others may remain to be discovered. Aside from the intrinsic scientific issues arising from this linkage of tropospheric electrical phenomena with that of middle atmosphere, a number of practical questions emerge. What, if any threats might TLEs pose to aerospace operations above 20 km? Do sprites represent a heretofore undocumented source of middle atmospheric No x ? What role might they play in the global electrical circuit, as well as in the energetics of the upper atmosphere [ Bering et al ., 1998]? Might these phenomena impact satellite‐based global monitoring and surveillance efforts?