WCR: Continuous and High-Resolution Thunderstorm Monitoring in Africa and Beyond to Support Water Cycle Research

水循环研究(WCR)项目将在非洲大陆开发一个连续的雷暴监测系统，以便以水气候研究和应用所需的空间分辨率描述对流降水的变化。在缺乏地面天气雷达和对非洲广大地区的降水进行可靠的地面测量的情况下，空间观测为监测降雨量的可变性提供了宝贵的独特手段。将实时反演云对地闪电事件，并结合卫星红外和微波观测，监测对流降水和雷暴雨率。全面实施的系统将为水文气象预报和水资源管理提供可靠的实时数据，为非洲人民带来可观的社会经济效益。

The Water Cycle Research (WCR) project will develop a continuous thunderstorm monitoring system over the African continent for characterization of convective precipitation variability at spatial resolutions needed for hydroclimate studies and applications. In the absence of ground weather radar and reliable surface measurements of precipitation over vast regions of Africa, space observations provide a valuable, unique means of monitoring rainfall variability. Dr. Anagnostou (U Conn) and co-PI Dr. Williams (MIT) will extend the lightning based monitoring system that is operative over Europe, West Asia, and the Atlantic Ocean to the African continent, from deployment of sferics-based radio receivers at four African sites. Cloud-to-ground lightning events will be retrieved in real time, and combined with satellite infrared and microwave observations to monitor convective precipitation and thunderstorm rain-rates. The fully implemented system will provide reliable, real-time data for hydro-meteorological forecasting and water resource management, with considerable socio-economic benefits to the African people.