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Lightning-Generated NO(x) Seen By OMI during NASA's TC-4 Experiment: First ResultsWe present here case studies identifying upper-tropospheric NO2 produced in convective storms during NASA's Tropical Composition, Cloud and Climate Coupling Experiment (TC~i)n July and August 2007. DC8 aircraft missions, flown from the mission base in Costa Rica, recorded in situ NO2 profiles near active storms and in relatively quiet areas. We combine these data with measurements from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on the Aura satellite to estimate the amount of NO2 produced by lightning (LN02) above background levels in the regions influenced by storms. In our analysis, improved off-line processing techniques are employed to minimize known artifacts in the OM1 data. Information on lightning flashes (primarily CG) observed by the surface network operated by the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad are examined upwind of regions where OM1 indicates enhanced LNO2. Comparisons of the observed flash data with measurements by the TRMM/LIS satellite instrument are used to obtain the lightning detection efficiency for total flashes. Finally, using the NO/NO2 ratio estimated from DC-8 observations, we estimate the average NO(x) production per lightning flash for each case in this study. The magnitudes of the measured NO(x) enhancements are compared with those observed by the DC-8 and with similar OM1 measurements analyzed in mid-latitude experiments.
Document ID
20090019656
Acquisition Source
Marshall Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Bucsela, Eric
(SRI International Corp. United States)
Pickering, Kenneth E.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Huntemann, Tabitha
(Maryland Univ. MD, United States)
Cohen, Ronald
(California Univ. Berkeley, CA, United States)
Perring, Anne
(California Univ. Berkeley, CA, United States)
Gleason, James
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Blakeslee, Richard
(NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL, United States)
Navarro, Dylana Vargas
(Instituto Costaricense de Electricidad Costa Rica)
Segura, Ileana Mora
(Instituto Costaricense de Electricidad Costa Rica)
Hernandez, Alexia Pacheco
(Instituto Costaricense de Electricidad Costa Rica)
Laporte-Molina, Sadi
(Instituto Costaricense de Electricidad Costa Rica)
Date Acquired
August 24, 2013
Publication Date
January 11, 2009
Subject Category
Meteorology And Climatology
Report/Patent Number
MSFC-2205
Meeting Information
Meeting: 2009 American Meteorological Society Meeting
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Country: United States
Start Date: January 11, 2009
End Date: January 15, 2009
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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