Estimation of charge neutralized by negative cloud-to-ground flashes in Catalonia thunderstorms

Abstract

Charges neutralized by lightning flashes have been usually located and inferred from the quasi-static changes in the vertical component of electric field (Δ E) obtained from multiple synchronized measurement stations. In this paper, the charges neutralized by negative cloud-to-ground (−CG) lightning flashes are located and inferred using single station electric field measurements in combination with total lightning (cloud-to-ground and intra-cloud) data from lightning detection networks in the north-eastern region of Spain. The altitude of the negative charge region in 8 thunderstorms examined here was in the range of 5.8–7.2 km as inferred from temperature soundings. Charge locations are assumed to be in the region where the VHF (Very High Frequency) sources associated with the discharge are located. The quantity of charge neutralized is calculated using a point charge model and the measured vertical component of electric field (Δ E) associated with each flash. The results are compared with those previously obtained from measurements carried out in the NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. The analysis of 260 −CG flashes from eight thunderstorms reveals a median charge value of −9.7 C with 95% of the values ranging between −4.5 C and −45 C.