Lightning and Thunderstorm Studies

闪电和雷暴研究

• 批准号: 1205727
• 负责人: Paul Krehbiel
• 金额: $ 74.52万
• 依托单位: New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-08-01 至 2016-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1205727&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Lightning; Thunderstorm; Studies

This project will advance understanding of storm electrification through a combination of instruments and techniques, including time-of-arrival and broadband interferometric mapping of lightning discharges inside storms, wideband electric and magnetic field measurements, high-speed video recordings of flashes, energetic radiation measurements inside storms, and dual-polarization meteorological radar storm observations. A particular initial focus will center on data collected during the May-June 2012 Deep Convective Clouds and Chemistry (DC3) study to be conducted in May-June 2012, for which this team will provide high-quality lightning mapping observations in the CSU-CHILL/North Colorado study area. The intellectual merit of the research will result primarily from the scientific investigations. Specific issues to be addressed include investigating the mechanism by which lightning is initiated, determining the nature of positive- and negative-polarity breakdown, homing in on the details of various discharge processes, and further differentiation of various types of lightning (such as blue- and gigantic-jets, bolts-from-the-blue, energetic compact intracloud discharges, and triggered lightning. In addition to individual lightning flashes, four-dimensionally mapped observations of the overall lightning activity will be used to infer storms' electrical structures, which will in-turn be compared with dual-polarization radar observations of associated microphysical and dynamical structures. The latter studies are to be carried out in conjunction with the Colorado State University (viz. CSU-CHILL) radar beginning with the DC3 investigations, where a more permanent, Lightning Mapping Array (LMA) will be set up and operated. These studies will help assess and quantify the effects of storm electrification and lightning on important trace atmospheric chemical constituents. Of particular subsequent interest will be studies of supercell and hail-producing storms, storms exhibiting inverted polarity signatures, positive cloud-to-ground lightning discharges, and wintertime lightning, and will also benefit from additional data collected by the S-POL radar operated by the National Center for Atmospheric Research.Collectively, broader impacts of these studies will include improved use and interpretation of lightning data in a) short-term forecasts of thunderstorm severity and intensification, b) determining the effect of lightning and electrified storms on atmospheric chemistry, c) detecting and monitoring volcanic eruptions, and d) validating space-borne lightning observations in advance of launches of the GOES-R and European geosynchronous satellites. The North Colorado LMA will also provide detailed observations of lightning occurrences and effects on the major energy-producing windfarms along the Colorado/Wyoming border. Work will also continue on studying underground transients produced by lightning, of substantial interest to the coal-mining and electric power industries. This work sill serve to further continued development of lightning mapping technology and dissemination of this technology to other research groups and operational users, as well as through graduate education and training of the next generation of researchers.

该项目将通过仪器和技术的结合，包括到达时间和风暴内闪电放电的宽带干涉测量测绘、宽带电场和磁场测量、闪光的高速视频记录、风暴内高能辐射测量和双极化气象雷达风暴观测，推进对风暴电气化的理解。一个特别的初始焦点将集中在2012年5 - 6月进行的深层对流云和化学（DC3）研究期间收集的数据，该研究小组将在CSU-CHILL/北科罗拉多研究区域提供高质量的闪电测绘观测。研究的智力价值将主要来自科学调查。需要解决的具体问题包括调查闪电产生的机制，确定正极性和负极性击穿的性质，关注各种放电过程的细节，以及进一步区分各种类型的闪电（如蓝色和巨型喷射，蓝色闪电，高能紧凑云内放电和触发闪电）。除了个别闪电外，整个闪电活动的四维映射观测将用于推断风暴的电结构，然后将其与双极化雷达观测的相关微物理和动力结构进行比较。后一项研究将与科罗拉多州立大学（即CSU-CHILL）雷达一起进行，从DC3调查开始，在那里将建立和操作一个更永久的闪电测绘阵列（LMA）。这些研究将有助于评估和量化风暴电气化和闪电对重要微量大气化学成分的影响。随后的特别兴趣将是超级单体和产生冰雹的风暴、表现出反向极性特征的风暴、云对地的正闪电放电和冬季闪电的研究，也将受益于国家大气研究中心运行的S-POL雷达收集的额外数据。总的来说，这些研究的更广泛的影响将包括在以下方面改进闪电数据的使用和解释：a)对雷暴强度和强度的短期预报；b)确定闪电和带电风暴对大气化学的影响；c)探测和监测火山爆发；d)在发射GOES-R和欧洲地球同步卫星之前验证星载闪电观测。北科罗拉多LMA还将提供闪电发生的详细观测结果，以及对科罗拉多/怀俄明州边界沿线主要能源生产风电场的影响。还将继续研究闪电产生的地下瞬变，这对煤矿和电力工业具有重大意义。这项工作仍然有助于进一步继续发展闪电测绘技术，并将这项技术传播给其他研究小组和业务用户，以及通过研究生教育和培训下一代研究人员。