A comparison of flash parameters from the National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) is made with data obtained from the Houston Lightning Detection and Ranging II (LDAR) network. This research focuses on relating the peak current and number of strokes in a negative flash (multiplicity) of lightning with the spatial extent and mean altitude of three-dimensional lightning in 1407 flashes as mapped by the LDAR network. It is shown that increasing negative multiplicities over the range two through ten exhibit, on average, a higher flash extent with higher multiplicities. Singlestroke flashes have mean heights of nearly 2 km greater. Higher order multiplicities (2 to 10+) were correlated with mean source heights near 8 km. Increasing multiplicity tends to be associated with greater flash extents increasing more horizontally than vertically with a 50% to 70% increase in flash extent. No obvious relationship between peak current and flash extent was observed. Examining peak current and mean height shows that low current flashes (<10kA) exhibit higher mean heights. However, this may be due to intra-cloud only flashes being reported as cloud to ground events by the NLDN. Bipolar flashes do not show much variation with height and flash extent with the exception of negative-first bipolar flashes, which exhibited mean flash extents twice that of other types. Finally, the flash detection efficiency is 99.7% within 60 km of the network center.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2005. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 104-115).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth and Planetary Science, 1981. / Microfiche copy available in Archives and Science. / Vita. / Bibliography: p. 235-247. / by Earle Rolfe Williams. / Ph.D.

Lightning is an important electrical phenomenon, known to exist in several Solar System planets. Amongst others, it carries information on convection and cloud formation, and may be important for pre-biotic chemistry. Exoplanets and brown dwarfs have been shown to host environments appropriate for the initiation of lightning discharges. In this PhD project, I aim to determine if lightning on exoplanets and brown dwarfs can be more energetic than it is known from Solar System planets, what are the most promising signatures to look for, and if these "exo-lightning" signatures can be detected from Earth. This thesis focuses on three major topics. First I discuss a lightning climatology study of Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, and Venus. I apply the obtained lightning statistics to extrasolar planets in order to give a first estimate on lightning occurrence on exoplanets and brown dwarfs. Next, I introduce a short study of potential lightning activity on the exoplanet HAT-P-11b, based on previous radio observations. Related to this, I discuss a first estimate of observability of lightning from close brown dwarfs, with the optical Danish Telescope. The final part of my project focuses on a lightning radio model, which is applied to study the energy and radio power released from lightning discharges in hot giant gas planetary and brown dwarf atmospheres. The released energy determines the observability of signatures, and the effect lightning has on the local atmosphere of the object. This work combines knowledge obtained from planetary and earth sciences and uses that to learn more about extrasolar systems. My main results show that lightning on exoplanets may be more energetic than in the Solar System, supporting the possibility of future observations and detection of lightning activity on an extrasolar body. My work provides the base for future radio, optical, and infrared search for "exo-lightning".

Thesis (M.S.)--Florida State University, 2006. / Advisor: Christopher Hunter, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Mathematics. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed Sept. 26, 2006). Document formatted into pages; contains ix, 122 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

Divers phénomènes d'ionisation et d'électrification atmosphériques existent dans la plupart des environnements planétaires connus et les conditions dans la basse atmosphère de Mars sont propices à l'établissement de champs électriques potentiellement très élevés. La raison d'être de Micro-ARES, le capteur de champ électrique et de conductivité de la suite météo DREAMS, seule charge utile scientifiques de l'atterrisseur Schiaparelli de la mission ExoMars 2016, était de défricher cette électricité atmosphérique martienne. L’étude de l’activité électrique ainsi que de la génération de ces champs électriques dans les tempêtes de poussières martiennes permettrait de faire la lumière sur divers phénomènes physiques : La dynamique des poussières à l’échelle locale et planétaire, élément clé du climat martien, la peu comprise ionosphère martienne ou encore la chimie atmosphérique et plus précisément l’énigme du méthane martien.La thèse présentée ici détaille le développement matériel et logiciel de Micro-ARES, les tests subits par l’instrument aussi bien en chambre que sur le terrain, ainsi que le traitement des données et la physique qui sous-tend le fonctionnement de l’instrument. Puisque de futures mission embarqueront très probablement ce type de capteur polyvalent, léger et consommant peu, l’accent a été mis sur la modélisation de l’interaction entre l’électrode et l’atmosphère. Ce travail théorique dépasse le cadre de Micro-ARES sur ExoMars 2016 et est une étape nécessaire dans la compréhension et le traitement des biais induits aussi bien par l’environnement de l’instrument, son design simplifié et les comportements inattendus de l’atmosphère martienne. / Atmosphere ionization and electrification mechanisms of various sorts are known to exist in most of the planetary environments. It appears that the lower atmosphere and surface of Mars combine a number of favorable conditions for the development of intense atmospheric electric fields. Unveiling the Martian atmospheric electricity was the original goal of Micro-ARES, the electric-field and conductivity sensor of the DREAMS meteorological suite, the only scientific payload that equipped the Schiaparelli module from the ExoMars 2016 mission.The study of the electrical activity and electric field generation in Martian dust events might bring new capital knowledge on a wide range of phenomena: The local and planetary scale dust dynamics, a major component of the Martian climate, the partially understood Martian ionosphere, atmospheric chemistry and more precisely the production and destruction of the Martian methane, a still unresolved mystery.The following thesis details the hardware and software development of Micro-ARES, its testing phases, both in laboratory and on the field, and the data processing and physical processes underlying the instrument’s operation. Since future missions may carry again these kind of polyvalent, lightweight and energy-efficient sensor, emphasis was put on the modeling of the instrument's electrical coupling with the atmosphere. This theoretical work exceeds the frame of Micro-ARES in ExoMars 2016 and is necessary in order to understand and accurately compensate the biases induced by the instrument's surroundings, its simplified design and the unexpected electrical behavior of the Martian atmosphere.

Thesis. 1976. Ph.D.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Meteorology. / Microfiche copy available in Archives and Science. / Vita. / Bibliography: leaves 240-244. / Ph.D.

A rotina operacional de monitoramento e previsão de tempo tem mudado bastante nos últimos anos. Além de informações convencionais existentes, que são bem conhecidas nos centros operacionais, os dados obtidos por sensoriamento remoto através de satélites, radares meteorológicos e sensores de detecção de descargas atmosféricas fornecem informações vitais e em tempo real, sendo estas as principais ferramentas para a detecção e previsão de tempestades severas. Na America do Sul, em especial o nordeste da Argentina, Paraguai, Uruguai e o sul do Brasil são regiões particularmente sujeitas a ocorrência de eventos severos (precipitação intensa, granizo, enchentes e intensa atividade elétrica, além de vendavais e tornados). No sul do Brasil, a distribuição mensal de chuvas é bastante uniforme, porém com alta variabilidade diária associada, principalmente, à passagem das frentes frias pela região e aos Sistemas Convectivos de Mesoescala, que se formam nessa região. A principal atividade econômica nessa região do Brasil é a agroindústria, diretamente dependente da distribuição da precipitação para a produção, como também susceptível aos fenômenos meteorológicos adversos associados. Além desta atividade, a região sul é responsável pela produção de, aproximadamente, 35% de toda a energia elétrica utilizada no país. O objetivo principal desta pesquisa foi estudar os aspectos espaciais e temporais da atividade elétrica durante os eventos de Sistemas Convectivos de Mesoescala (SCM) e examinar as possíveis relações entre o ambiente no qual essas tempestades se desenvolvem e as características elétricas e hidrometeorológicas desses, conforme observados por um radar meteorológico Doppler, e uma rede de detecção de relâmpagos, principalmente, e também com informações de satélites meteorológicos, dados de superfície e análises de modelos numéricos. Os resultados deste trabalho mostraram a importância das características dinâmicas na região, em especial a presença dos jatos em baixos níveis com a convergência de umidade na região para a organização dos eventos de SCM, como também a distribuição dos regimes de precipitação com características distintas de estrutura de refletividade observada por radar e também de atividade elétrica durante os eventos analisados. Espera-se que os resultados deste trabalho ajudem a entender melhor a relação dos sistemas convectivos de mesoescala e sua estrutura e evolução, como observados e detectados pelos sistemas remotos de monitoramento hidrometeorológico, além de um melhor entendimento e aperfeiçoamento de nossas habilidades de análise e previsão de tempo relacionados a esses eventos severos com precipitação intensa. / The operational routine in weather monitoring and forecasting has changed a lot in the past years. Besides conventional information, well known in operational centers, data from remote sensing such as satellite, weather radars and lightning detection network provide vital information in real time, as the main tools for severe weather detection and forecasting In South America, specially northeastern Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and southern Brazil are regions prone to severe weather (intense precipitation, hail, floddings, lightning, tornadoes and gust winds). In the South of Brazil, monthly precipitation distribution is very uniform, but with daily variability associated, mostly, with the passage of cold fronts through the region and to mesoscale convective systems, forming in this area. The major economical activity in this region of Brazil is agroindustry, directly dependent of precipitation distribution for production and also susceptible to diverse meteorological events associated with it. Besides this activity, the south region is responsible for the production of, approximately, 35\\% of all electric energy used in the country. The main goal of this research was to study spatial and temporal aspects of the electrical activity during MCS events, as observed by a weather radar and a network of ligthning detection sensors in the south of Brazil, and to examine possible relations between the environment in which these storms develop and electrical characteristics of these weather systems, using weather radar, lightning, satellite and numerical model information. The results of this work showed the importance of the dynamic characteristics in the regial, specially the presence of low level jets and humidity convergence in the region to organize MCS events, as well as a distribution of precipitation regimes whith distinct characteristics of radar reflectivity and electrical activity during the analysed events. With this work we expect to contribute with the understanding of the relation of MCS structure and evolution as observed and detected by hydrometeorological monitoring systems and to improve the comprehension and ability to analyse and forecast such severe weather systems.

A rotina operacional de monitoramento e previsão de tempo tem mudado bastante nos últimos anos. Além de informações convencionais existentes, que são bem conhecidas nos centros operacionais, os dados obtidos por sensoriamento remoto através de satélites, radares meteorológicos e sensores de detecção de descargas atmosféricas fornecem informações vitais e em tempo real, sendo estas as principais ferramentas para a detecção e previsão de tempestades severas. Na America do Sul, em especial o nordeste da Argentina, Paraguai, Uruguai e o sul do Brasil são regiões particularmente sujeitas a ocorrência de eventos severos (precipitação intensa, granizo, enchentes e intensa atividade elétrica, além de vendavais e tornados). No sul do Brasil, a distribuição mensal de chuvas é bastante uniforme, porém com alta variabilidade diária associada, principalmente, à passagem das frentes frias pela região e aos Sistemas Convectivos de Mesoescala, que se formam nessa região. A principal atividade econômica nessa região do Brasil é a agroindústria, diretamente dependente da distribuição da precipitação para a produção, como também susceptível aos fenômenos meteorológicos adversos associados. Além desta atividade, a região sul é responsável pela produção de, aproximadamente, 35% de toda a energia elétrica utilizada no país. O objetivo principal desta pesquisa foi estudar os aspectos espaciais e temporais da atividade elétrica durante os eventos de Sistemas Convectivos de Mesoescala (SCM) e examinar as possíveis relações entre o ambiente no qual essas tempestades se desenvolvem e as características elétricas e hidrometeorológicas desses, conforme observados por um radar meteorológico Doppler, e uma rede de detecção de relâmpagos, principalmente, e também com informações de satélites meteorológicos, dados de superfície e análises de modelos numéricos. Os resultados deste trabalho mostraram a importância das características dinâmicas na região, em especial a presença dos jatos em baixos níveis com a convergência de umidade na região para a organização dos eventos de SCM, como também a distribuição dos regimes de precipitação com características distintas de estrutura de refletividade observada por radar e também de atividade elétrica durante os eventos analisados. Espera-se que os resultados deste trabalho ajudem a entender melhor a relação dos sistemas convectivos de mesoescala e sua estrutura e evolução, como observados e detectados pelos sistemas remotos de monitoramento hidrometeorológico, além de um melhor entendimento e aperfeiçoamento de nossas habilidades de análise e previsão de tempo relacionados a esses eventos severos com precipitação intensa. / The operational routine in weather monitoring and forecasting has changed a lot in the past years. Besides conventional information, well known in operational centers, data from remote sensing such as satellite, weather radars and lightning detection network provide vital information in real time, as the main tools for severe weather detection and forecasting In South America, specially northeastern Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and southern Brazil are regions prone to severe weather (intense precipitation, hail, floddings, lightning, tornadoes and gust winds). In the South of Brazil, monthly precipitation distribution is very uniform, but with daily variability associated, mostly, with the passage of cold fronts through the region and to mesoscale convective systems, forming in this area. The major economical activity in this region of Brazil is agroindustry, directly dependent of precipitation distribution for production and also susceptible to diverse meteorological events associated with it. Besides this activity, the south region is responsible for the production of, approximately, 35\\% of all electric energy used in the country. The main goal of this research was to study spatial and temporal aspects of the electrical activity during MCS events, as observed by a weather radar and a network of ligthning detection sensors in the south of Brazil, and to examine possible relations between the environment in which these storms develop and electrical characteristics of these weather systems, using weather radar, lightning, satellite and numerical model information. The results of this work showed the importance of the dynamic characteristics in the regial, specially the presence of low level jets and humidity convergence in the region to organize MCS events, as well as a distribution of precipitation regimes whith distinct characteristics of radar reflectivity and electrical activity during the analysed events. With this work we expect to contribute with the understanding of the relation of MCS structure and evolution as observed and detected by hydrometeorological monitoring systems and to improve the comprehension and ability to analyse and forecast such severe weather systems.