Lightning and Thunderstorm Studies

该项目将通过一系列仪器和技术增进对风暴带电的理解，包括风暴内部闪电放电的到达时间和宽带干涉测绘、宽带电场和磁场测量、闪电的高速录像、风暴内的能量辐射测量和双极化气象雷达风暴观测。最初的重点将集中在2012年5月至6月将进行的深对流云和化学(DC3)研究期间收集的数据，该团队将为该研究提供CSU-CHILL/北科罗拉多州研究区域的高质量闪电测绘观测。这项研究的智力价值主要来自科学调查。要处理的具体问题包括调查闪电产生的机制，确定正负极击穿的性质，专注于各种放电过程的细节，以及进一步区分各种类型的闪电(如蓝色和巨型喷流、从天而降的闪电、高能紧凑的声内放电和触发闪电)。除了个别闪电外，还将使用总体闪电活动的四维图观测来推断风暴的电气结构，然后将其与相关微物理和动力学结构的双极化雷达观测进行比较。后一项研究将与科罗拉多州立大学(即CSU-CHILL)雷达从DC3调查开始，将在那里建立和操作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带电和闪电对重要微量大气化学成分的影响。这些研究的更广泛影响将包括：(A)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)探测和监测火山喷发；(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。北科罗拉多州LMA还将提供对科罗拉多州/怀俄明州边境沿线主要能源风电场的闪电发生和影响的详细观测。研究闪电产生的地下瞬变现象的工作也将继续进行，煤矿和电力行业对此非常感兴趣。这项工作将有助于进一步开发闪电测绘技术，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。

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.