Negative Narrow Bipolar Events Research Articles

Very high frequency radiation emitted by negative narrow bipolar events occurred over malacca strait

In this paper, Very-High Frequency (VHF) radiation pulses associated with 11 negative Narrow Bipolar Events (NBEs) produced by a tropical storm over Malacca Strait are examined. The lightning data were recorded from a measurement station (ST) which consisted of a fast antenna (FA) and three VHF sensors (two 5 m perpendicular baselines interferometer). The average rise time (RT), average zero-crossing time (ZCT), average pulse duration (PD), and range of peak currents of the negative NBEs were 1.4 ± 0.4 μs, 2.7 ± 1.0 μs, 12.0 ± 6.9 μs, and −10 to −64 kA, respectively. The key finding is that all VHF radiation pulses have been found to precede the negative NBEs with an average lead time of 0.7 ± 0.3 μs. An interferometer map for one negative NBE (labelled as NBE10) detected at 35.7 km from ST has shown a characteristic of mixed propagation direction of fast streamers. The first VHF radiation source was detected at 12.4 ± 0.4 km above sea level. The total length and estimated velocity of the main propagation of the VHF radiation sources were 2.2 ± 0.7 km and between 1.4 × 108 and 2.8 × 108 ms−1, respectively. Moreover, based on the Himawari satellite image, the maximum extent of the cloud top height was estimated to be around 20.9 km over sea level (over Malacca Strait). All the VHF radiation sources associated with NBE10 were suggested to be detected above the main negative charge region (6 km altitude that corresponds to −10 °C). Thus, it could be suggested that NBE10 was initiated most likely in the environment of the ice crystals alone, based on the first altitude of the VHF radiation source and maximum extent of cloud top height.

A comparative study of the electrical characteristics of positive and negative narrow bipolar events

A comparative study of the electrical characteristics of positive and negative narrow bipolar events

Outbreak of Negative Narrow Bipolar Events in Two Mid-Latitude Thunderstorms Featuring Overshooting Tops

Lightning discharges are the electrical production in thunderclouds. They radiate the bulk of radio signals in the very low-frequency and low-frequency (VLF/LF) that can be detected by ground-based receivers. One kind of special intra-cloud lightning discharges known as narrow bipolar events (NBEs) have been shown to be rare but closely linked to the convective activity that leads to hazardous weather. However, there is still lack of understanding on the meteorological conditions for thunderstorm-producing NBEs, especially for those of negative polarity, due to their rare occurrence. In this work, we aim to investigate what meteorological and electrical conditions of thunderclouds favor the production of negative NBEs. Combining with the VLF/LF radio signal measured by Jianghuai Area Sferic Array (JASA), S-band Doppler radar observation and balloon sounding data, two mid-latitude thunderstorms with outbreaks of negative NBEs at midnight in East China were analyzed. The comparison with the vertical radar profile shows that the bursts of negative NBEs occurred near thunderclouds with overshooting tops higher than 18 km. Manifestation of negative NBEs is observed with a relatively low spectrum width near thundercloud tops. Our findings suggest that the detection of negative NBEs would provide a unique electrical means to remotely probe overshooting tops with implications for the exchange of troposphere and stratosphere.

Observation of the onset of a blue jet into the stratosphere.

Blue jets are lightning-like, atmospheric electric discharges of several hundred millisecond duration that fan into cones as they propagate from the top of thunderclouds into the stratosphere1. They are thought to initiate in an electric breakdown between the positively charged upper region of a cloud and a layer of negative charge at the cloud boundary and in the air above. The breakdown forms a leader that transitions into streamers2 when propagating upwards3. However, the properties of the leader, and the altitude to which it extends above the clouds, are not well characterized4. Blue millisecond flashes in cloud tops5,6 have previously been associated with narrow bipolar events7,8, which are 10- to 30-microsecond pulses in wideband electric field records, accompanied by bursts of intense radiation at 3 to 300 megahertz from discharges with short (inferred) channel lengths (less than one kilometre)9-11. Here we report spectral measurements from the International Space Station, which offers an unimpeded view of thunderclouds, with 10-microsecond temporal resolution. We observe five intense, approximately 10-microsecond blue flashes from a thunderstorm cell. One flash initiates a pulsating blue jet to the stratopause (the interface between the stratosphere and the ionosphere). The observed flashes were accompanied by 'elves'12 in the ionosphere. Emissions from lightning leaders in the red spectral band are faint and localized, suggesting that the flashes and the jet are streamer ionization waves, and that the leader elements at their origin are short and localized. We propose that the microsecond flashes are the optical equivalent of negative narrow bipolar events observed in radio waves. These are known to initiate lightning within the cloud and to the ground, and blue lightning into the stratosphere, as reported here.

Groups of narrow bipolar events within thunderstorms

This investigation is focused on groups of Narrow Bipolar Events (NBEs), defined as NBEs that occurred within 10 km horizontally and ±660 ms of a located, large-amplitude NBE from a dataset of positive NBEs that occurred in Mississippi thunderstorms. In two months only 15 groups were found, with a total of 31 positive and 4 negative NBEs. Each group had 2 to 5 NBEs; four groups had both positive and negative polarity NBEs. About half of the NBEs had typical values for range-normalized fast antenna (FA) electric field change magnitudes (4–15 V/m) and typical VHF powers (1000–45,000 W), but 17 NBEs had FA magnitudes 0.2–2.5 V/m, and 17 NBEs had VHF powers 30–900 W. Seven weak NBEs had FA magnitudes of 0.2–1.0 V/m and VHF powers of 30–100 W. These findings indicate that weak NBEs are more common than previously thought. None of the NBEs in groups initiated a lightning flash, and (with one possible exception) none of the later NBEs in a group were initiated by earlier NBEs in the group. The data of the NBE groups are consistent with the turbulence-extensive air shower (EAS)/relativistic runaway electron avalanche (RREA) mechanism, which states that each NBE occurs in a separate 1-km3 volume containing many small regions with electric field ≥3 MV/(m∙atm); an EAS/RREA passing through the 1-km3 volume initiates the positive streamers that comprise the NBE. Relative to thunderstorm radar reflectivity, 23 NBEs occurred in or above the reflectivity core, 10 NBEs occurred high in the storm anvil, and 2 NBEs occurred beside the storm core. We speculate that the occurrence of many of the NBE groups was associated with dynamically intense convection.

Characterizing three types of negative narrow bipolar events in thunderstorms

Data from fast antennas (FAs) with bandwidth of 16 Hz–2.5 MHz and VHF power sensors (Log-RF) with bandwidth of 186–192 MHz are used to examine negative narrow bipolar events, or NNBEs. The main focus is on low-altitude (<8.0 km) NNBEs that initiate negative cloud-to-ground (-CG) flashes; very few low-altitude NNBEs have been studied previously. For comparison, 24 high-altitude (>8.0 km) NNBEs are also examined. The low-altitude NNBEs are found to have two types called NNBE(L) and NNBE(H). NNBE(L)s have a bipolar FA waveform typical of NBEs while NNBE(H)s have a unipolar FA waveform. It is hypothesized that NNBE(H)s may be weak versions of NNBE(L)s in which the second, overshoot part of the bipolar waveform is too weak to detect amid the FA sensor noise. Together the 33 NNBE(L)s and NNBE(H)s occurred at an average altitude of 6.2 km (range 4.6–7.8 km), had average range-normalized (to 100 km) amplitude of 0.4 V/m (range 0.06–1.5 V/m), and had average VHF power of 130 W (range 1–1300 W). These low-altitude NNBE properties are substantially smaller and weaker than the same properties of the high-altitude NNBEs and of positive NBEs that initiate intracloud (IC) flashes; these analyses indicate that -CG flashes are easier to initiate than IC flashes. Visual inspection of the FA and Log-RF data of 868 -CG flashes showed that only 33 flashes (4%) were preceded by either an NNBE(L) or NNBE(H), so 96% of the -CG flashes investigated probably did not begin with an NNBE.

Observations of Blue Discharges Associated With Negative Narrow Bipolar Events in Active Deep Convection

AbstractOn 19 August 2012, the Imager of Sprites and Upper Atmospheric Lightning on board the FORMOSAT‐2 satellite captured a sequence of seven blue discharges within 1 min that emanated from a parent thunderstorm over Lake Taihu in East China. The analysis of lightning activity produced in the thunderstorm indicates that at least six of these events occurred in association with negative narrow bipolar events (NBEs) that were concurrent with the blue discharge by less than 1 ms, and negative cloud‐to‐ground occurred within 6 s before each blue discharge, which is in agreement with the modeling presented by Krehbiel et al. (2008). Therefore, the frequent occurrence of negative cloud‐to‐ground could provide the favorable condition for the production of blue discharges, and negative NBEs are probably the initial event of blue discharges. The detection of negative NBEs might provide a convenient approach to detect the occurrence of blue discharges as lightning bolt shooting upward from the top of energetic thunderstorms.

Locating narrow bipolar events with single-station measurement of low-frequency magnetic fields

We developed a method to locate the narrow bipolar events (NBEs) based on the single-station measurement of low-frequency (LF, 40–500kHz) magnetic fields. The direction finding of a two-axis magnetic sensor provides the azimuth of NBEs relative to the measurement site; the ionospheric reflection pairs in the lightning sferics are used to determine the range and height. We applied this method to determine the three-dimensional (3D) locations of 1475 NBEs with magnetic signals recorded during the SHandong Artificially Triggered Lightning Experiment (SHATLE) in summer of 2013. The NBE detections are evaluated on a storm basis by comparing with radar observations of reflectivity and lightning data from the World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN) for two mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) of different sizes. As revealed by previous studies, NBEs are predominately produced in the convective regions with relatively strong radar echo (with composite reflectivity ≥30dBZ), although not all the convections with high reflectivity and active lightning production are in favor of NBE production. The NBEs located by the single-station magnetic method also exhibit the distinct segregation in altitude for positive and negative NBEs, namely positive NBEs are mainly produced between 7km and 15km, while negative NBEs are predominantly produced above 14km. In summary, the results of comparison generally show that the single-station magnetic method can locate NBEs with good reliability, although the accuracy of 3D location remains to be evaluated with the traditional multi-station method based on the time-of-arrival technique. This method can be applied to track the motion of storm convection within 800km, especially when they move out to ocean beyond the detection range (typically <400km) of meteorological radars, making it possible to study NBEs in oceanic thunderstorms for which the location with multiple ground-based stations is usually not feasible.

Spatial relationship between lightning narrow bipolar events and parent thunderstorms as revealed by phased array radar

AbstractPhased array radar with unprecedented high temporal and spatial resolution is used for the first time to analyze structures of thunderstorms producing lightning narrow bipolar events (NBEs). Locations of NBEs generally correspond well with the deepest convection, but in some thunderstorms extending higher than 15 km, positive NBEs cluster around, rather than right at the center of the core of deep convection. Negative NBEs are generally higher than positive NBEs and are usually produced at the cloud top of the thunderstorm. Positive NBEs, on the other hand, are always located well inside the thundercloud. It seems that negative NBEs can only be produced in very vigorous thunderstorms with cloud tops higher than about 14 km. Numerous thunderstorms with lower height produce few negative NBEs, indicating a height threshold for NBE production. On the basis of these findings, it becomes very convenient and accurate to monitor severe thunderstorms with negative NBEs.

Discharge height of lightning narrow bipolar events

Discharge heights of thousands of narrow bipolar events (NBEs) observed in Guangzhou and Chongqing of China are calculated using time delays between the direct wave signals of NBEs and their ionospheric reflection pairs. The result shows that most positive NBEs occur between 8 and 16 km while most negative NBEs occur between 16 and 19 km. Very few negative NBEs are above 19 km or below 14 km. It is inferred that positive NBEs are produced between main negative charge layer and upper positive charge layer while negative NBEs are produced between upper positive charge layer and negative screening charge layer at the cloud top. Variations of NBE discharge heights in two thunderstorms are analyzed. It seems that NBEs can be produced at any position between corresponding charge layers. Positive NBEs are generally higher in the periods when negative NBEs are also occurring. For a given short time period in a single thunderstorm, negative NBEs are always observed to occur at a higher altitude than positive NBEs, indicating a dividing charge layer between positive NBEs and negative NBEs. The possibility of some NBEs as upward discharges from cloud tops mentioned by previous studies is discussed. Supported by multiple evidences, we believe such possibility is very low; instead, NBEs are produced in vigorous convective surges that develop to the height comparable to the discharge height of NBEs. Differences in height distributions in Guangzhou and Chongqing are analyzed and a hypothesis is put forward that both positive NBEs and negative NBEs can only be produced above certain height. The relationship between this hypothesis and the mechanism for NBE production is discussed.