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Observations of Lightning NO x Production From GOES‐R Post Launch Test Field Campaign Flights
Author(s) -
Allen Dale J.,
Pickering Kenneth E.,
Lamsal Lok,
Mach Douglas M.,
Quick Mason G.,
Lapierre Jeff,
Janz Scott,
Koshak William,
Kowalewski Matthew,
Blakeslee Richard
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: atmospheres
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-8996
pISSN - 2169-897X
DOI - 10.1029/2020jd033769
Subject(s) - geostationary orbit , meteorology , environmental science , flash (photography) , geostationary operational environmental satellite , satellite , lightning detection , lightning (connector) , remote sensing , physics , optics , geography , astronomy , thunderstorm , quantum mechanics , power (physics)
A primary goal of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite R‐series Post Launch Test (GOES‐R PLT) Field Campaign during spring 2017 was the performance evaluation of the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) aboard the GOES‐16 satellite. The NASA Goddard Geo‐CAPE Airborne Simulator (GCAS), an ultra‐violet visible spectrometer, piggybacked on the aircraft mission to allow continuous hyper‐spectral measurements at high spectral and spatial resolutions simultaneously with optical lightning detection by the Fly’s Eye GLM Simulator while overflying convective systems. NO 2 columns retrieved from GCAS were used to estimate the moles of NO x produced per flash, referred to as lightning NO x production efficiency (LNO x PE) for convective systems over the United States and western Atlantic. The mean PE was determined to be 360 ± 180 mol per flash for optically detected GLM flashes and 230 ± 115 mol per flash for radio‐wave detected Earth Networks Total Lightning Network flashes. These values span the commonly cited range of 100–500 mol per flash for midlatitude flashes. LNO x PE was found to be positively correlated with GLM flash multiplicity and flash optical energy but negatively correlated with flash density. The positive correlations provide encouragement for PE parameterizations in terms of flash energy or multiplicity. Observations during the GOES‐R PLT field campaign provide a preview of the analysis that will be possible when continuous lightning detection is coupled with hourly NO 2 columns from a geostationary instrument such as Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution.