Red sprites over thunderstorms in the coast of Shandong Province,China

Red sprites, different from lightning flashes occurring in the troposphere, are large and brief dis-charges which appear in the altitude range from about 40 to 90 km above large thunderstorms and are usually caused by cloud-to-ground lightning discharges （CGs）. A total of 17 sprites over two thunder-storms were first observed during the summer of 2007. One of the sprites occurred on July 28 above a thunderstorm in Guan County and the center of the storm was about 272 km from the observation site. The other sprites were recorded at the late night of August I and in the early morning of August 2, and the storm center was about 315 km away. All of the observed sprites occurred in cluster, and their appearances were very different, including ‘columniform sprites＇, ‘columniform sprites＇ with angel-like wings, ‘carrot sprites＇,‘dancing sprites＇, etc. The duration of the sprites varied from a minimum of 40 ms to a maximum of 160 ms with a geometric mean （GM） of 61 ms. The time delay between parental positive cloud-to-ground lightning flashes （＋CGs） and the associated sprites varied from 3.4 to 11.8 ms with a GM of 7.1 ms. The ratio of the number of ＋CGs to the total number of CGs during the time period with sprites was 7 times larger than that when no sprites occurred. Sprites did not appear frequently at the time when the convective activity is strong but when the thunderstorm starts to become weak.     

青藏高原东部地区雷暴及其地闪活动特征分析

为进一步了解青藏高原地区雷暴及其地闪特征,对2013～2017夏季(6～8月)青藏高原东部地区典型强雷暴过程的地闪和雷达资料进行了综合分析,重点研究了24次以负极性闪电为主的强雷暴过程,分析表明:所有雷暴最大回波顶高均超过7 km,第一次地闪为正地闪的雷暴其组合反射率和回波顶高明显高于第一次地闪为负地闪的雷暴过程。以地闪极性和频数差异将雷暴分为负地闪雷暴、正地闪雷暴、多地闪雷暴三种类型。负地闪雷暴过程中闪电数量较少且大多发生在雷暴成熟阶段;正地闪雷暴过程中闪电数量在几十次左右,主要发生在成熟阶段后期和消散阶段;多地闪雷暴在初始阶段、成熟阶段和消散阶段都有闪电发生,但主要集中在成熟阶段和消散阶段。三类雷暴强反射率中心移动距离和移动速度也有不同,地闪数量多的雷暴比地闪数量少的雷暴有更长的移动距离,负地闪雷暴较正地闪雷暴有更快的移动速度。     

A giant thunderstorm on Saturn

Lightning discharges in Saturn's atmosphere emit radio waves with intensities about 10,000 times stronger than those of their terrestrial counterparts. These radio waves are the characteristic features of lightning from thunderstorms on Saturn, which last for days to months. Convective storms about 2,000 kilometres in size have been observed in recent years at planetocentric latitude 35° south (corresponding to a planetographic latitude of 41° south). Here we report observations of a giant thunderstorm at planetocentric latitude 35° north that reached a latitudinal extension of 10,000 kilometres-comparable in size to a 'Great White Spot'-about three weeks after it started in early December 2010. The visible plume consists of high-altitude clouds that overshoot the outermost ammonia cloud layer owing to strong vertical convection, as is typical for thunderstorms. The flash rates of this storm are about an order of magnitude higher than previous ones, and peak rates larger than ten per second were recorded. This main storm developed an elongated eastward tail with additional but weaker storm cells that wrapped around the whole planet by February 2011. Unlike storms on Earth, the total power of this storm is comparable to Saturn's total emitted power. The appearance of such storms in the northern hemisphere could be related to the change of seasons, given that Saturn experienced vernal equinox in August 2009.     

Spatial and temporal characteristics of VHF radiation source produced by lightning in supercell thunderstorms

The three-dimensional temporal and spatial characteristics of VHF radiation events produced by lightning discharges in three supercell thunderstorms have been analyzed based on the data measured by the lightning mapping array system with high time and space resolution. The results indicate that lightning hole (lighting free region) with about 5-6km in diameter or lighting ring (annular lighting free region) is associated with the strong updraft in thunderstorm.The lasting time of lightning holes is either short or long, being about 20min in a tornado-producing thunderstorm. The lightning holes appear before the occurrence of tornado.The lightning hole is the most obvious during the occurrence of tornado and some self-existent lighting radiation events appear at a height of 15-16km. The lightning channels of inter-cloud (IC) lightning discharge exhibit clockwise rotary structures and do not have clear bilevel structures in the vicinity of the tornado.The lightning holes are corresponding to the strong updraft region.The temporal and spatial distribution of lightning radiation events reveals the structure of strong updraft in supercell thunderstorms.Positive cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning discharges dominate in these thunderstorms and the peak of positive CG lightning flash rate appears, with the maximum of 6 per minute,after or before the occurrence of tornado.     

驻马店市两次强对流天气的多普勒雷达产品特征的对比分析

针对近年来河南省驻马店市出现的强对流天气,用多普勒天气雷达产品如反射率因子、径向速度、垂直液态含水量、风暴跟踪信息等进行普查分析,重点对两次不同性质的强对流天气的雷达产品进行详细研究.发现强对流天气的雷达回波强度在40 dBz以上,强度为40~50 dBz的回波移速为25~35 km/h时,一般出现强降水,无雷暴和大风;回波移速为35~45 km/h时开始伴有雷暴和大风的出现;当回波移速达到45~60 km/h时,强雷暴和大风的出现几率上升,而强降水的出现几率急剧下降;当回波移速达到60~69 km/h时,则以雷雨大风为主,强降水出现很少.冰雹时强回波伴有"V"型缺口,回波强度可达55 dBz以上,强回波中心出现在9~12 km高度,回波顶可高达15~18km,强回波下方有强上升气流造成的弱回波区.短历时强降水的雷达回波强度比冰雹、雷暴弱,一般为40~50 dBz,强回波中心高度5~6 km;当回波强度大于50 dBz,强回波中心达到8 km以上时,往往伴有强雷电和大风冰雹出现;回波形态多呈现絮状混合型回波,其中有块状的强回波,对流性的强降水回波则是边缘清晰的块状结构.     

双偏振多普勒天气雷达监测雷电的分析

为了更有效开展雷电的实时监测和预警,利用S波段双线偏振多普勒天气雷达回波资料和闪电定位仪数据,对2009年7月初发生在江苏的一次雷暴天气过程进行了分析。在有闪电的回波区,闪电频次峰值出现在水平反射率因子42dBZ处,集中在34~46dBZ之间;闪电频次峰值出现在差分反射率因子ZDR的0.4dB处,主要集中在-0.4~1.4dB;闪电频次峰值出现在差分传播相位常数KDP的1°/km处,集中在0~2°/km附近;闪电频次峰值出现在相关系数ρhv的0.98处,集中在0.96以上。而无闪电回波的偏振参量都明显小于发生闪电回波的值。通过对雷暴回波单体偏振参量随时间变化的分析,发现偏振参量和闪电频次之间有较好的一致性。随着闪电的发生和频次的增加,回波单体的反射率因子ZH、差分反射率因子ZDR、差分传播相位常数KDP都有不同程度的逐步增加。最大时ZH达47dBZ、ZDR达到2dB以上、KDP达到2.5°/km。     

Storm-time ionospheric disturbances monitored by GPS beacon measurements

The Total Electron Content (TEC) during three great storms, from April to August 2000, was collected by means of a GPS receiver located in Jingzhou (30.4° N, 112.2° E). The time-latitude-dependent features of ionospheric storms are identified using TEC difference images based on the deviations of TEC during storm relative to quiet time. The responses of ionospheric TEC to magnetic storms were analyzed. The results show that: 1) In middle and low latitude, ionospheric storms effects are more apparent in local day time than at night: 2) Ionospheric storm effects are more dominant near the hump of the equatorial anomaly region than in other regions of TEC measurements; 3) The positive effects during the main phase of ionospheric storm may be caused by electric fields in low latitude; 4) During the recovery period of ionospheric storm, the negative phase of storm may be due to the perturbation of the neutral gas composition. Foundation item: Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (49984001) Biography: Pei Xiao-hong (1977-), male, Master candidate, research direction: studying ionosphere on GPS beacons.     

Statistic characteristics of severe convective storm during Warm-Season in the Beijing-Tianjin region and its vicinity

This study analyzed the climatological characteristics of severe convective storms in the Beijing and Tianjin region and its vicinity based on the Doppler radar data of Tanggu during May-August of 2003-2007. The climatological characteristics, e.g. storm area, volume, top height, max reflectivity, life time and motion, are analyzed. The results include： 75% of all storms in the Beijing-Tianjin region last no more than 30 minutes, and most storms have a volume less than 400 kin3; most storms move from southwest to northeast while the speed is between 10-30 km/h; the mean storm top height is about 6 km, but some strong convective storms can have a top height larger than 15 kin; finally, storm area and volume have a similar geographical distribution character showing increasing trends from west to east. Compared with the statistic results based on the conventional surface meteorological observations, the results based on the radar data can present not only 3D spatial statistic results of convective storms （e.g., volume and top height）, but also the quantitative climatological characteristics, such as the lifetime and speed distributions. These statistical results are useful for studying the climatic characteristics of convective storms in the Beijing-Tianjin region and its vicinity.     

Observation of moist convection in Jupiter's atmosphere. Galileo Imaging Team

The energy source driving Jupiter's active meteorology is not understood. There are two main candidates: a poorly understood internal heat source and sunlight. Here we report observations of an active storm system possessing both lightning and condensation of water. The storm has a vertical extent of at least 50 km and a length of about 4,000 km. Previous observations of lightning on Jupiter have revealed both its frequency of occurrence and its spatial distribution, but they did not permit analysis of the detailed cloud structure and its dynamics. The present observations reveal the storm (on the day side of the planet) at the same location and within just a few hours of a lightning detection (on the night side). We estimate that the total vertical transport of heat by storms like the one observed here is of the same order as the planet's internal heat source. We therefore conclude that moist convection-similar to large clusters of thunderstorm cells on the Earth-is a dominant factor in converting heat flow into kinetic energy in the jovian atmosphere.     

Electrical discharge from a thundercloud top to the lower ionosphere

For over a century, numerous undocumented reports have appeared about unusual large-scale luminous phenomena above thunderclouds and, more than 80 years ago, it was suggested that an electrical discharge could bridge the gap between a thundercloud and the upper atmosphere. Since then, two classes of vertically extensive optical flashes above thunderclouds have been identified-sprites and blue jets. Sprites initiate near the base of the ionosphere, develop very rapidly downwards at speeds which can exceed 107 m s-1 (ref. 15), and assume many different geometrical forms. In contrast, blue jets develop upwards from cloud tops at speeds of the order of 105 m s-1 and are characterized by a blue conical shape. But no experimental data related to sprites or blue jets have been reported which conclusively indicate that they establish a direct path of electrical contact between a thundercloud and the lower ionosphere. Here we report a video recording of a blue jet propagating upwards from a thundercloud to an altitude of about 70 km, taken at the Arecibo Observatory, Puerto Rico. Above an altitude of 42 km-normally the upper limit for blue jets and the lower terminal altitude for sprites-the flash exhibited some features normally observed in sprites. As we observed this phenomenon above a relatively small thunderstorm cell, we speculate that it may be common and therefore represent an unaccounted for component of the global electric circuit.     

Charge structures and cloud-to-ground lightning discharges characteristics in two supercell thunderstorms

The characteristics of CG lightning discharges have been studied because they often result in the disaster and are easier to be observed than intracloud discharge. In early stage, the locations of charges in cloud are de- termined based on the multi-stati…     

Gigantic jets between a thundercloud and the ionosphere

Transient luminous events in the atmosphere, such as lighting-induced sprites and upwardly discharging blue jets, were discovered recently in the region between thunderclouds and the ionosphere. In the conventional picture, the main components of Earth's global electric circuit include thunderstorms, the conducting ionosphere, the downward fair-weather currents and the conducting Earth. Thunderstorms serve as one of the generators that drive current upward from cloud tops to the ionosphere, where the electric potential is hundreds of kilovolts higher than Earth's surface. It has not been clear, however, whether all the important components of the global circuit have even been identified. Here we report observations of five gigantic jets that establish a direct link between a thundercloud (altitude approximately 16 km) and the ionosphere at 90 km elevation. Extremely-low-frequency radio waves in four events were detected, while no cloud-to-ground lightning was observed to trigger these events. Our result indicates that the extremely-low-frequency waves were generated by negative cloud-to-ionosphere discharges, which would reduce the electrical potential between ionosphere and ground. Therefore, the conventional picture of the global electric circuit needs to be modified to include the contributions of gigantic jets and possibly sprites.     

Deep winds beneath Saturn's upper clouds from a seasonal long-lived planetary-scale storm

Convective storms occur regularly in Saturn's atmosphere. Huge storms known as Great White Spots, which are ten times larger than the regular storms, are rarer and occur about once per Saturnian year (29.5 Earth years). Current models propose that the outbreak of a Great White Spot is due to moist convection induced by water. However, the generation of the global disturbance and its effect on Saturn's permanent winds have hitherto been unconstrained by data, because there was insufficient spatial resolution and temporal sampling to infer the dynamics of Saturn's weather layer (the layer in the troposphere where the cloud forms). Theoretically, it has been suggested that this phenomenon is seasonally controlled. Here we report observations of a storm at northern latitudes in the peak of a weak westward jet during the beginning of northern springtime, in accord with the seasonal cycle but earlier than expected. The storm head moved faster than the jet, was active during the two-month observation period, and triggered a planetary-scale disturbance that circled Saturn but did not significantly alter the ambient zonal winds. Numerical simulations of the phenomenon show that, as on Jupiter, Saturn's winds extend without decay deep down into the weather layer, at least to the water-cloud base at pressures of 10-12 bar, which is much deeper than solar radiation penetrates.     

Simulation study of discharge processes in thunderstorm

The discharge characteristics in thunderstorm have been calculated by using a numerical cloud model. The results indicate that discharge processes occur when simulated thunderstorm developed at the stage of 30-45 min and initial locations of discharge mainly distributes between 4.4-4.8 km and 6.4-6.8 km above the ground (corresponding to ambient temperature of - 10℃ and -25℃. In simulated thunderstorm with a tripole electric structure, 10% of discharges occur between upper positive charge area and middle negative charge area and propagate upwards (from middle negative charge area to upper positive charge area); while, 90% of discharges occur between lower positive charge area and middle negative charge area and propagate downwards (from negative charge area to lower positive charge area). There is a positive correlation between updraft and discharge. The occurrence of discharge process needs hydrometer with a specified concentration and size in cloud (corresponding to ≥ 5 mm/h for precipitation on the ground). The maximum value of precipitation lags the peak of discharge number by a period of about several minutes. The discharge and its variation in thunderstorm are an important factor for monitoring and forecasting thunderstorm.     

The trend of sand flux and the meteorology elements changes in the near-surface layer of Tengger desert in the spring of 2006

Dust storm events, especially those associated with strong winds, are immediately dangerous, and have long-term harmful effects. During a dust storm event, dust in the near-surface atmospheric layer decreases visibility, and changes local meteorological parameters. In this paper, we analyzed levels of near-surface turbulence during and outside a dust storm event and found differences in the degree of turbulence, with wind speed increasing and amounts of windblown sand greatly increasing air turbulence during the dust storms compared with the corresponding values on a sunny day. In addition, the wind profile during the dust storm deviated from the normal profile and became more complex. In the near-surface atmospheric layer, sand and dust flux during the dust storm also differed from those on a sunny day.     

Polarity inverted intracloud discharges and electric charge structure of thunderstorm

The three-dimensional spatial and temporal development of impulsive VHF radiation events during lightning discharges has been analyzed based on the data measured by the lightning mapping array (LMA) system with high space and time resolution. The results indicate that intracloud discharges in the thunderstorm with anormal tripole charge structure occur not only between the upper positive and middle main negative charge region, but also with inverted polarity between the lower positive and middle main negative charge region. The polarity-inverted discharge originates from the middle negative charge and propagates downward to the lower positive region, where then the discharge develops horizontally. The characteristics of the discharge are similar to that of normal intracloud discharge except the polarity opposite. The results further confirmed the existence of the lower positive charge region involved in the lightning discharge. It was also found that the inverted charge structure opposite to the normal polarity ap pears in some storms or at a certain stage of the storm development. In the stor m with a polarity inverted charge structure, a main positive charge region is lo cated at the middle part and a negative charge at the upper part of the storm. T he intracloud discharges occurred between them are of inverted polarity, showing the existence of a polarity inverted charging mechanism in storms and the compl exity of storm charge structure.     

勐腊县雷暴气候变化特征分析

利用勐腊县1957—2011年雷暴资料,采用气候趋势系数、倾向率和保证率等气候诊断方法,探讨了勐腊县近55 a雷暴的气候趋势、时空分布特点及不同保证率下的雷暴初终日期.结果表明,勐腊县各月均有雷暴发生,雷暴日数发生最多是4—10月,占全年的90.2%.勐腊县年雷暴年际变化呈减少趋势,减幅最明显的是夏季和秋季,每10 a的雷暴日数减少4 d左右.勐腊县雷暴初日有退后的趋势,80%保证率的雷暴初日日期是1月12日,终日日期是12月16日,5%保证率的雷暴初日日期是3月19日,终日日期是10月7日,50%保证率的雷暴初日日期是1月31日,终日日期是11月13日.     

开封市近60年雷暴气候的统计分析

利用开封市1951—2010年60年的雷暴观测资料,用数理统计、线性分析等方法分析了开封雷暴的气候特征.结果表明,60年来开封年平均雷暴日数较多,属中雷区;年雷暴日数有减少的变化趋势.一年12个月都有可能出现雷暴,但多集中出现在4—9月,以7月出现最多,12月和1月极少出现.     

昌都30年雷暴变化的气候特征及雷电灾害的预防

文章根据昌都站1971～2000年雷暴观测资料,分析了昌都雷暴的年、季、月、日、初日、终日的气候变化,以及雷暴持续期、持续时间、移动方向和强雷暴日数。结果表明：昌都雷暴集中出现在5～9月,尤以7月份雷暴日数最多;一天之中雷暴主要出现在午后至傍晚（13～20时）;每次雷暴持续时间多在30分钟以内;30年昌都雷暴日数（-3．90d／10a）、雷暴持续期（-6．83d／10a）和强雷暴日数（-2．43d／10a）均呈减少趋势;雷暴初日略有推迟（3．24d／10a）,终日有所提前（3．59d／10a）。并从防雷减灾的角度重点针对农牧区提出对雷电灾害的预防。     

湘北地区不同地理环境雷暴活动特征

利用1977—2011年湘北地区岳阳、常德和石门3个国家气象观测站雷暴观测资料,采用核密度估计、线性倾向方法和Mann-Kendall趋势检验分析3种不同地理环境雷暴基本规律与变化情况。结果表明:湘北地区处于不同地理环境的岳阳、常德和石门三地雷暴日数春、夏季多而秋、冬季少,其中石门春、夏、秋季平均雷暴日数最多,岳阳在四季平均雷暴日数最少;三地雷暴日数皆呈减少趋势,其中石门减少最慢且不显著;三地初雷日平均日期在2月中旬,终雷日平均日期在10月中下旬,其中石门平均初雷日最早,终雷日最迟,雷暴期最长,而岳阳雷暴期最短,1977—2011年三地初雷日皆有推后,终雷日皆有提前,雷暴期都在缩短;三地雷暴主要起止于午后至凌晨,岳阳相对均匀,石门与常德相对集中;三地雷暴主要起止于偏西偏南方向,岳阳雷暴起止方位有显著的昼夜差异,尤其是洞庭湖湖面以及湖面与城区交界处雷暴活动昼夜差异显著,石门和常德昼夜差异较小;三地雷暴的起止时间、持续时间和起止方位皆有明显的季节变化。