Characterizing Charge Structure in Central Argentina Thunderstorms During RELAMPAGO Utilizing a New Charge Layer...

Area of Science:

• Atmospheric Science
• Electromagnetism
• Meteorology

Background:

• Understanding thunderstorm electrical structure is crucial for weather forecasting and lightning safety.
• Previous methods for analyzing charge distribution relied on manual inspection, limiting scalability and objectivity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and validate Chargepol, an automated method for retrieving charge layer polarity, altitude, and thickness from lightning data.
• To characterize the electrical charge structure of thunderstorms in Central Argentina and compare it with data from the United States.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the NASA Lightning Mapping Array (LMA) during the RELAMPAGO field campaign.
• Employed very-high frequency (VHF) source emissions to estimate charge distribution properties.
• Validated the automated Chargepol method against manual polarity assignments.

Main Results:

• Chargepol successfully inferred storm bulk electrical charge structure over extended periods.
• The study identified varying percentages of anomalous charge structures across different regions, with Colorado showing the highest rate (82.6%).
• Anomalous thunderstorms in Cordoba exhibited enhanced low-level positive charge, a rare feature in Colorado storms.

Conclusions:

• The Chargepol method provides a reliable and scalable approach to studying thunderstorm electrification.
• Regional variations in thunderstorm charge structure were observed, highlighting the need for localized analysis.
• The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of lightning formation and storm dynamics.