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CAPE Times P Explains Lightning Over Land But Not the Land‐Ocean Contrast
Author(s) -
Romps David M.,
Charn Alexander B.,
Holzworth Robert H.,
Lawrence William E.,
Molinari John,
Vollaro David
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2018gl080267
Subject(s) - convective available potential energy , cape , lightning (connector) , meteorology , climatology , pointwise , contrast (vision) , environmental science , proxy (statistics) , precipitation , geology , geography , mathematics , physics , mathematical analysis , power (physics) , archaeology , quantum mechanics , statistics , optics
Abstract The contemporaneous pointwise product of convective available potential energy (CAPE) and precipitation is shown to be a good proxy for lightning. In particular, the CAPE × P proxy for lightning faithfully replicates seasonal maps of lightning over the contiguous United States, as well as the shape, amplitude, and timing of the diurnal cycle in lightning. Globally, CAPE × P correctly predicts the distribution of flash rate densities over land, but it does not predict the pronounced land‐ocean contrast in flash rate density; some factor other than CAPE or P is responsible for that land‐ocean contrast.