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Lightning flash density versus altitude and storm structure from observations with UHF‐ and S‐band radars
Author(s) -
Mazur Vladislav,
Gerlach John C.,
Rust W. David
Publication year - 1984
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/gl011i001p00061
Subject(s) - thunderstorm , lightning (connector) , meteorology , storm , altitude (triangle) , upper atmospheric lightning , ultra high frequency , effects of high altitude on humans , flash (photography) , radar , environmental science , wavelength , remote sensing , geology , atmospheric sciences , lightning strike , physics , optics , aerospace engineering , telecommunications , power (physics) , geometry , mathematics , engineering , quantum mechanics , computer science
The UHF‐ (70.5 cm wavelength) and S‐band (10 cm wavelength) radars at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia have been used to relate lightning activity to altitude and to the reflectivity structure of a thunderstorm. Two centers of lightning flash density were found, one between 6 and 8 km altitude and another between 11 and 15 km. Our observations show a tendency for lightning to be within the high reflectivity region and ahead of it in the less intense precipitation at the leading edge of the storm.