Abstract
Sprites, elves and other transient luminous events (TLEs) are known to exist only above thunderstorms. It is therefore important to know where these thunderstorms occur around the globe, and how their distribution varies temporally and spatially. The majority of thunderstorms on Earth occur within the tropical regions between ±30° latitude of the equator (~50% of the surface area of the globe). This is due to the maximum solar heating in the tropics, and the atmospheric general circulation patterns between the tropics and the subtropics (Hadley Circulation). Along the thermal equator, which migrates with the seasons, air masses from the northern and southern hemispheres converge along the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ). This is the latitudinal position of the majority of the globe’s rainfall and thunderstorm activity. However, in the tropics these thunderstorms are concentrated mainly over the continental regions (Americas, Africa and southeast Asia) with little thunderstorm activity observed over the oceans. The reason for the preference of thunderstorms to continental regions is likely related to the larger daily surface heating over land as compared with the oceans. In the extra-tropical regions thunderstorms form along the polar front, the boundary between warm moist air from the tropics, and cool dry air from polar regions. Recent satellite measurements of lightning indicate a mean global rate of ~45 ashes/second. In fair weather regions the integrated effect of global thunderstorms and other electried clouds can be observed via the atmospheric global electric circuit. The global thunderstorms charge the Earth’s surface negatively with a mean charge of 500,000 Coulombs, and a mean potential between the ionosphere (~80 km) and the Earth’s surface of 250 kV. The diurnal variation of the atmospheric electric circuit (and global thunderstorms) has a maximum around 18 UT and a minimum around 03 UT known as the Carnegie Curve.
Access provided by Autonomous University of Puebla. Download to read the full chapter text
Chapter PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Keywords
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
Bibliography
Baker, M. B., Blyth, A. M., Christian, H. J., Latham, J., Miller, K. L., and Gadian, A. M. (1999). Relationship between lightning activity and various thundercloud parameters: Satellite and modeling studies. Atmos. Res., 51:221–236.
Baker, M. B., Christian, H. J., and Latham, J. (1995). A computational study of the relationships linking lightning frequency and other thundercloud parameters. Quart. J. Roy. Met. Soc, 121:1525–1548.
Bering, E. A. III, Few, A. A., and Benbrook, J. R. (1998). The global electric circuit. Phys. Today, 51(10):24–30.
Brooks, C. E. P. (1925). The distribution of thunderstorms over the globe. Geophys. Mem., 3(24):147–164.
Chern, J. L., Hsu, R. R., Su, H. T., Lee, L. C., Mende, S. B., Fukunishi, H., and Takahashi, Y. (2003). Global survey of upper atmospheric Transient Luminous Events on the ROCSAT-2 satellite. J. Atmos. Sol.-Terr. Phys., 65(5):647–659.
Christian, H. J., Blakeslee, R. J., Boccippio, D. J., Boeck, W. L., et al. (2003). Global frequency and distribution of lightning as observed from space by the Optical Transient Detector. J. Geophys. Res., 108(4005):doi:10.1029/2002JD002347.
Füllekrug, M., Price, C., Yair, Y., and Williams, E. R. (2002). Intense oceanic lightning. Ann. Geophys., 20:133.
Greenberg, E. and Price, C. (2004). A global lightning location algorithm based on the electromagnetic signature in the Schumann resonance band. J. Geophys. Res., 109(D21111):doi:10.1029/2004JD004845.
Hoffman, K. (1923). Bericht über die in Ebeltofthafen auf Spitzbergen in den Jahren 1913/4 durchgeführten luftelektrischen Messungen. Beitr. Phys. Atmos., 11(1). Leipzig.
Jenniskens, P., Butow, S., and Fonda, M. (2000). The 1999 Leonid multiinstrument aircraft campaign - an early review. Earth, Moon and Planets, 82-83:1–26.
Jorgenson, D. P. and Lemone, M. A. (1989). Vertical velocity in oceanic convection off tropical Australia. J. Atmos. Sci., 51:3183–3193.
Lemone, M. A. and Zipser, E. J. (1980). Cumulonimbus vertical velocity events in GATE. Part I: Diameter, intensity and mass flux. J. Atmos. Sci., 37:2444–2457.
Lyons, W. A., Nelson, T. E., Williams, E. R., Cummer, S. A., and Stanley, M. A. (2003). Characteristics of sprite-producing positive cloud-to-ground lightning during the 19 July 2000 STEPS mesoscale convective system. Mon. Wea. Rev., 131:2417–2427.
Markson, R. (1985). Aircraft measurements of the atmospheric electric global circuit during the period 1971–1984. J. Geophys. Res., 90:5967–5977.
Markson, R. (1986). Tropospheric convection, ionospheric potential and global circuit variations. Nature, 320:588–594.
Mauchly, S. J. (1923). Diurnal variations of the potential gradient of atmospheric electricity. Terr. Magn. Atmos. Electr., 28:61–81.
Petersen, W. A., Nesbitt, S. W., Blakeslee, R. J., Cifeli, R., Hein, P., and Rutledge, S. A. (2002). TRMM observations of intraseasonal variability in convective regimes over the Amazon. J. Clim., 15:1278–1294.
Price, C. (2000). Evidence for a link between global lightning activity and upper tropospheric water vapor. Nature, 406:290–293.
Price, C. and Rind, D. (1992). A simple lightning parameterization for calculating global lightning distributions. J. Geophys. Res., 97:9919–9933.
Rycroft, M. J., Israelsson, S., and Price, C. (2000). The global atmospheric electric circuit, solar activity and climate change. J. Atmos. Sol.-Terr. Phys., 62:1563–1576.
Takahashi, Y., Miyasato, R., Adachi, T., Adachi, K., Sera, M., Uchida, A., and Fukunishi, H. (2003). Activities of sprites and elves in the winter season, Japan. J. Atmos. Sol.-Terr. Phys., 65:551–560.
Whipple, F. J. W. (1929). On the association of the diurnal variation of the electrical potential gradient in fine weather with the distribution of thunderstorms over the globe. Quart. J. Roy. Met. Soc., 55:1–17.
Williams, E., Chan, T., and Boccippio, D. (2004). Islands as miniature continents: Another look at the land-ocean lightning contrast. J. Geophys. Res., 109(D16206):doi:10.1029/2003JD003833.
Williams, E. and Stanfill, S. (2002). The physical origin of the land-ocean contrast in lightning activity. Compt. Rend. Phys., 3:1277–1292.
Williams, E. R. (2005). Lightning and climate: A review. Atmos. Res., 75:272–287.
Williams, E. R. et al. (2002). Contrasting convective regimes over the Amazon: Implications for cloud electrification. J. Geophys. Res. - LBA Special Issue, 107(D20-8082):doi:10.1029/2001JD000380.
Williams, E.W. and Satori, G. (2004). Thermodynamic and hydrological comparison of the two tropical continental chimneys. J. Atmos. Sol.-Terr. Phys., 66:1213–1231.
Yair, Y., Israelevich, P., Dvir, A. D., Moalem, M., Price, C., Joseph, J. H., Levin, Z., Ziv, B., Sternlieb, A., and Teller, A. (2004). New observations of sprites from the Space Shuttle. J. Geophys. Res., 109(D15201):doi: 10.1029/2003JD004497.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2006 Springer
About this paper
Cite this paper
Price, C. (2006). GLOBAL THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY. In: Füllekrug, M., Mareev, E.A., Rycroft, M.J. (eds) Sprites, Elves and Intense Lightning Discharges. NATO Science Series II: Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry, vol 225. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4629-4_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4629-4_4
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-4627-8
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-4629-2
eBook Packages: Physics and AstronomyPhysics and Astronomy (R0)