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Reduction in Global Lightning Activity during the COVID Pandemic
  • +7
  • Yakun Liu,
  • Earle R. Williams,
  • Anirban Guha,
  • Gabriella Sátori,
  • Ryan K Said,
  • Katrina S. Virts,
  • Timothy James Lang,
  • Yanan Zhu,
  • Jeff Lapierre,
  • Elizabeth DiGangi
Yakun Liu
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Earle R. Williams
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Anirban Guha
Tripura University
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Gabriella Sátori
Geodetic and Geophysical Research Insitute, Hungarian Academy of Sciences
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Ryan K Said
Vaisala, Inc.
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Katrina S. Virts
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
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Timothy James Lang
NASA MSFC
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Yanan Zhu
Earth Networks Inc
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Jeff Lapierre
Earth Networks
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Elizabeth DiGangi
Earth Networks Inc.
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Abstract

The effect of anthropogenic aerosols on lightning is one of the least understood aspects of human-induced climate change. Global aerosol clearly diminished during the COVID pandemic by 7.6%. A pronounced decrease in global lightning activity in the range 3.0%-5.8% is identified from various detection systems during this natural experiment. The Maritime Continent lightning chimney shows the largest reduction of 7.0% in aerosol accompanied by a lightning drop of 15%. The COVID period in 2020 also experiences a transition from pre-COVID El Niño to a strong and sustained La Niña. Compensation for ENSO forcing of lightning activity is implemented to disclose the distinct responses of three global lightning chimneys to competing thermodynamic and aerosol effects. Our observational findings indicate a marked influence of aerosol on a global scale by virtue of the extraordinary COVID-induced aerosol alteration.
27 Aug 2024Submitted to ESS Open Archive
28 Aug 2024Published in ESS Open Archive