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Stratospheric Joule heating by lightning continuing current inferred from radio remote sensing
Author(s) -
Füllekrug Martin,
Ignaccolo Massimiliano,
Kuvshinov Alexei
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
radio science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.371
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1944-799X
pISSN - 0048-6604
DOI - 10.1029/2006rs003472
Subject(s) - lightning (connector) , joule heating , current (fluid) , stratosphere , waveform , atmospheric electricity , environmental science , meteorology , physics , atmospheric sciences , electric field , voltage , power (physics) , quantum mechanics , thermodynamics
The mean lightning current waveform of particularly intense lightning discharges is inferred from 52,510 radio wave recordings in the frequency range 1–200 Hz. The current waveform decays initially with a time constant of ∼2 ms, and the current lowers ∼60 C from cloud to ground within the first ∼10 ms of the discharge. The subsequent continuing current exhibits a decay time constant of ∼40 ms and lowers ∼170 C from cloud to ground within the next ∼100 ms of the discharge. The total charge transfer ∼230 C from cloud to ground deposits electrical energy into the stratosphere resulting from quasi‐static (Joule) heating. The energy deposition is dominated by the lightning continuing current, and it is ∼10 −5 J/m 3 at 30 km height. It is speculated that the initiation of blue jets and gigantic jets in the stratosphere may result from lightning continuing current ≳100 ms which can be observed with radio waves at frequencies ≲10 Hz.