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Rapid Sampling of Spatial Structure and Polarimetric Statistics of Lightning Observed with Phased Array Radar
  • +5
  • Vitor Goede,
  • David Schvartzman,
  • David Bodine,
  • Vanna Chmielewski,
  • Tian-You Yu,
  • Eric Bruning,
  • Min-Duan Tzeng,
  • Michael Stock
Vitor Goede
The University of Oklahoma

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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David Schvartzman
The University of Oklahoma
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David Bodine
The University of Oklahoma
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Vanna Chmielewski
NOAA / OAR National Severe Storms Laboratory
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Tian-You Yu
University of Oklahoma
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Eric Bruning
Texas Tech University
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Min-Duan Tzeng
Advanced Radar Research Center
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Michael Stock
University of Oklahoma
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Abstract

11institutetext: Knowledge-based Systems and Document Processing Research Group
Faculty of Computer Science
Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg
11email: [email protected]
Previous lightning studies using radars mostly consisted of observations with reflector-antenna systems yielding slower scan times. However, Phased Array Radars (PARs) offer much faster scan times that are likely to capture echoes from propagating lightning channels. We use rapidly updating Range-Height Indicator (RHI) scans collected by the fully-digital Horus PAR while sampling severe storms that occurred in Oklahoma to examine echoes from lightning plasma. Numerous lightning echoes were observed during the sampling period in good spatial and temporal agreement with Lightning Mapping Array (LMA) detections of very high frequency (VHF) radiation sources. Numerous highly detailed lightning-plasma signatures were identified and objectively analyzed. They result in increased horizontal reflectivity factor, deviations in radial velocity and spectrum width, highly variable differential reflectivity and differential phase, and decreases in correlation coefficient. Results presented highlight the capability of PARs to remotely detect lightning, supporting the study of lightning physics, and to monitor lightning activity.
29 Aug 2024Submitted to ESS Open Archive
30 Aug 2024Published in ESS Open Archive