Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) Observations of the Brightest
Lightning in the Americas
Abstract
Two years of Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) science data are used
to document the brightest lighting flashes observed on the Americas
continent. The most radiant optical lightning emissions – termed
“superbolts” – were first identified by our Vela satellite
constellation in the 1970s (Turman, 1977) and are defined in terms of
peak optical power. GLM is an integrating sensor that, instead, measures
the total optical energy from a lightning pulse. While GLM might not
correctly classify short-duration energetic superbolts, its top
lightning cases certainly fall in the superbolt category, and the wealth
of GLM measurements over its stationary hemispheric field of view
provide an unmatched sample of extraordinarily bright lightning. While
radiant bolts in excess of 100x the optical energy of typical lightning
are ubiquitous across the Americas and result from many types of
lightning processes, we find the most radiant cases
(>1000x) are concentrated in the central United States and
in the La Plata basin in South America. Coincident Earth Networks Global
Lightning Network (ENGLN) observations reveal that these extremely
bright emissions usually result from +CG strokes with high peak currents
in long horizontal flashes outside of the convective core. Single cases
of these megaflashes might produce multiple superbolts over their
durations.