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Response of Global Lightning Activity Observed by the TRMM/LIS During Warm and Cold ENSO PhasesThis paper investigates the response of global lightning activity to the transition from the warm (January February March-JFM 1998) to the cold (JFM 1999) ENSO phase. The nine-year global lightning climatology for these months from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) provides the observational baseline. Flash rate density is computed on a 5.0x5.0 degree lat/lon grid within the LIS coverage area (between approx.37.5 N and S) for each three month period. The flash rate density anomalies from this climatology are examined for these months in 1998 and 1999. The observed lightning anomalies spatially match the documented general circulation features that accompany the warm and cold ENSO events. During the warm ENSO phase the dominant positive lightning anomalies are located mostly over the Western Hemisphere and more specifically over Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean and Northern Mid-Atlantic. We further investigate specifically the Northern Mid-Atlantic related anomaly features since these show strong relation to the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). Furthermore these observed anomaly patterns show strong spatial agreement with anomalous upper level (200 mb) cold core cyclonic circulations. Positive sea surface temperature anomalies during the warm ENSO phase also affect the lightning activity, but this is mostly observed near coastal environments. Over the open tropical oceans, there is climatologically less lightning and the anomalies are less pronounced. Warm ENSO related anomalies over the Eastern Hemisphere are most prominent over the South China coast. The transition to the cold ENSO phase illustrates the detected lightning anomalies to be more pronounced over East and West Pacific. A comparison of total global lightning between warm and cold ENSO phase reveals no significant difference, although prominent regional anomalies are located over mostly oceanic environments. All three tropical "chimneys" (Maritime Continent, Central Africa, and Amazon Basin) do not show any particular response to this transition.
Document ID
20070038265
Acquisition Source
Marshall Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Chronis, Themis G.
(NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL, United States)
Cecil, Dan
(NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL, United States)
Goodman, Steven J.
(NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL, United States)
Buechler, Dennis
(NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL, United States)
Date Acquired
August 24, 2013
Publication Date
August 13, 2007
Subject Category
Meteorology And Climatology
Meeting Information
Meeting: International Conferences on Atmospheric Electricity/International Commission on Atmospheric Electricity
Location: Beijing
Start Date: August 13, 2007
End Date: August 17, 2007
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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