NASA Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports

Our knowledge of the global distribution of lightning has improved dramatically since the advent of spacebased lightning
observations. Of major importance was the 1995 launch of the Optical Transient Detector (OTD), followed in 1997 by the
launch of the Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS). Together, these instruments have generated a continuous eight-year record of
global lightning activity. These lightning observations have provided a new global perspective on total lightning activity. For
the first time, total lightning activity (cloud-to-ground and intra-cloud) has been observed over large regions with high
detection efficiency and accurate geographic location. This has produced new insights into lightning distributions, times of
occurrence and variability. It has produced a revised global flash rate estimate (44 flashes per second) and has lead to a new
realization of the significance of total lightning activity in severe weather. Accurate flash rate estimates are now available over
large areas of the earth (+/- 72 deg. latitude). Ocean-land contrasts as a function of season are clearly reveled, as are orographic
effects and seasonal and interannual variability. The space-based observations indicate that air mass thunderstorms, not large
storm system dominate global activity. The ability of LIS and OTD to detect total lightning has lead to improved insight into
the correlation between lightning and storm development. The relationship between updraft development and lightning
activity is now well established and presents an opportunity for providing a new mechanism for remotely monitoring storm
development. In this concept, lightning would serve as a surrogate for updraft velocity. It is anticipated that this capability
could lead to significantly improved severe weather warning times and reduced false warning rates. This talk will summarize
our space-based lightning measurements, will discuss how lightning observations can be used to monitor severe weather, and
present a concept for continuous geostationary-based lightning observations.
Author
Lightning; Distributing; Cloud-to-Ground Discharges; Vertical Air Currents; Thunderstorms
20040047267 Meteorological Satellite Center, Kiyose, Japan
Monthly Report of the Meteorological Satellite Center: November 2003
November 2003; In English; In Japanese; Document files and Satellite data are recorded in either ASCII or shift JIS code; Full
Disk Earth’s Cloud Images are recorded in Bit-Map (BMP) format; Copyright; Avail: Other Sources
The CD-ROM concerning the November 2003 Monthly Report of the Meteorological Satellite Center (MSC) contains the
observation data derived from the Geostationary Meteorological Satellite (GMS) of Japan and the Polar Orbital
Meteorological Satellites operated by NOAA. The CD-ROM contains the following observation data: Full Disk Earth’s Cloud
Image; Cloud Image of Japan and its vicinity; Cloud Amount; Sea Surface Temperature; Cloud Motion Wind; Water Vapor
Motion Wind; Equivalent Blackbody Temperature; OLR (Out-going Longwave Radiation), Solar Radiation; Snow and Ice
Index; Orbit Data; Attitude Data; VISSR Image Data Catalog (Cartridge Magnetic Tape (CMT), Micro Film); TOVS (TIROS
Operational Vertical Sounder) Vertical Profile of Temperature and Precipitable Water; and TOVS Total Ozone Amount.
Derived from text
Satellite Observation; Satellite Sounding; Atmospheric Sounding; Meteorological Parameters; Satellite Imagery; Japan
20040047270 Meteorological Satellite Center, Kiyose, Japan
Monthly Report of the Meteorological Satellite Center: September 2003
September 2003; In English; In Japanese; Document files and Satellite data are recorded in either ASCII or shift JIS code; Full
Disk Earth’s Cloud Images are recorded in Bit-Map (BMP) format; Copyright; Avail: Other Sources
The CD-ROM concerning the September 2003 Monthly Report of the Meteorological Satellite Center (MSC) contains the
observation data derived from the Geostationary Meteorological Satellite (GMS) of Japan and the Polar Orbital
Meteorological Satellites operated by NOAA. The CD-ROM contains the following observation data: Full Disk Earth’s Cloud
Image; Cloud Image of Japan and its vicinity; Cloud Amount; Sea Surface Temperature; Cloud Motion Wind; Water Vapor
Motion Wind; Equivalent Blackbody Temperature; OLR (Out-going Longwave Radiation), Solar Radiation; Snow and Ice
Index; Orbit Data; Attitude Data; VISSR Image Data Catalog (Cartridge Magnetic Tape (CMT), Micro Film); TOVS (TIROS
Operational Vertical Sounder) Vertical Profile of Temperature and Precipitable Water; and TOVS Total Ozone Amount.
Derived from text
Satellite Observation; Satellite Sounding; Atmospheric Sounding; Meteorological Parameters; Satellite Imagery; Japan
20040047274 National Space Science and Technology Center, Huntsville, AL, USA
Total Lightning Activity as Observed from Space
Christian, Hugh J.; April 2004; 1 pp.; In English; Darwin Lightning Observatory Workshop, 7-10 Mar. 2004, Osaka, Japan;
No Copyright; Avail: Other Sources; Abstract Only
Our knowledge of the global distribution of lightning has improved dramatically since the 1995 launch of the Optical
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