ATDnet Detection Efficiency and Cloud Lightning Detection Characteristics from Comparison with the HyLMA during HyMeX SOP1

Abstract

AbstractThis study provides the first comprehensive quantitative detection efficiency (DE) estimation of the Met Office long-range very low-frequency (VLF) lightning location system, the Arrival Time Difference Network ATDnet, with a focus on cloud flash detection. ATDnet uses sensors in and around Europe to detect lightning in Europe, northern Africa, and northern parts of the Atlantic.In the present paper, ATDnet is validated against the Hydrological Cycle in the Mediterranean Experiment (HyMeX) Lightning Mapping Array (HyLMA) deployed in the south of France in autumn 2012 as a part of the HyMeX project Special Observation Period 1 (SOP1). Three storms (on 5, 11, and 25 September 2012) were selected for this study, as their activity was sufficient to provide good statistics but also low enough to avoid ambiguous situations due to temporally overlapping flashes.The overall ATDnet flash DE was approximately 89% for the 281 ground flashes [cloud to ground (CG)] and 24% for the 1324 cloud flashes [inter/intracloud (IC)] during the storms. It was also demonstrated that variations in cloud flash characteristics (e.g., flash vertical extent) have a significant impact on DE between and during the studied storms.