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Enhanced positive cloud-to-ground lightning in thunderstorms ingesting smoke from fires

Lyons1, Nelson, Williams

  • 1W. A. Lyons and T. E. Nelson, FMA Research Inc., Yucca Ridge Field Station, Fort Collins, CO 80524, USA. E. R. Williams, Parsons Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. J. A. Cramer and T. R. Turner, Glo.

Science (New York, N.Y.)
|October 2, 1998
PubMed
Summary

Wildfire smoke from Mexico significantly increased lightning activity in the U.S. southern plains. Thunderstorms in smoke-filled air produced more positive lightning and sprites.

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Area of Science:

  • Atmospheric Science
  • Environmental Science
  • Geophysics

Background:

  • Forest fire smoke plumes can be transported over long distances.
  • Aerosols from smoke can influence cloud microphysics and lightning processes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of Mexican wildfire smoke on lightning characteristics in the U.S. southern plains during spring 1998.
  • To determine if smoke-contaminated air masses influence the frequency and polarity of cloud-to-ground lightning and sprite production.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flash data from the National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN).
  • Correlated lightning data with satellite-derived aerosol plume maps to identify smoke-affected regions.
  • Analyzed lightning parameters including polarity (+CGs) and peak current.

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Main Results:

  • Nearly half a million CG flashes occurred in the southern plains over two months.
  • Positive lightning (+CG) percentages were triple the normal climatological values in smoke-affected areas.
  • +CG flashes exhibited peak currents double the expected values.
  • Abnormally high numbers of mesospheric optical sprites were observed.

Conclusions:

  • Thunderstorms forming in smoke-contaminated air masses generated significantly more positive lightning.
  • Increased positive lightning and sprite activity were linked to the advection of Mexican wildfire smoke.
  • Smoke aerosols demonstrably altered thunderstorm electrical properties and optical phenomena.