Investigating dust storm dynamics and lightning interactions using Weather Research Forecasting-Chemistry (WRF-CHEM)...

Area of Science:

• Atmospheric Science
• Meteorology
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Dust storms with lightning pose significant natural hazards, causing loss of life and property.
• Accurate prediction of these events is crucial for disaster mitigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the interactions between dust storms and lightning using numerical modeling.
• To evaluate the performance of the WRF-CHEM model with and without dust-inclusive simulations.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-CHEM) for a 48-hour simulation.
• Compared dust-inclusive and dust-exclusive scenarios over Uttar Pradesh.
• Validated lightning simulations against WWLLN and IITM data.
• Validated meteorological parameters against ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis data.
• Employed NOAA HYSPLIT model for dust storm trajectory analysis.

Main Results:

• WRF-CHEM with dust accurately simulated lightning intensity and dust storm path/strength.
• Models without dust underestimated lightning intensity due to missing dust electrification.
• WRF-CHEM predicted significantly more lightning strokes under dust conditions compared to WRF without dust.
• Spatial distribution of lightning events was challenging for WRF-CHEM to reproduce accurately.

Conclusions:

• The WRF-CHEM model with dust ON demonstrated superior performance over WRF without dust.
• Dust electrification plays a critical role in enhancing lightning activity during dust storms.
• Findings provide valuable insights for improving predictions of thunderstorms and lightning associated with dust storms.