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Combined Microwave and Sferics Measurements as a Continuous Proxy for Latent Heating in Mesoscale Model PredictionsPlanar rainfall distributions were retrieved from data provided by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Microwave Imager (TMI) and Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) radiometers. Lightning generates Very Low Frequency (VLF) radio noise pulses called sferics. Those pulses propagate over large distances so that they can be continuously monitored with a network of ground based radio receivers. An empirical relationship between the sferics rate and the convective rainfall permitted maps of convective latent heating profiles to be derived continuously from the sferics distributions. Those inferred latent heating rates were assimilated into the Penn State/NCAR Mesoscale Model (MM5) that depicted an intense winter cyclone that passed over Florida on 2 February 1998. When compared to a 14 hour MM5 rainfall forecast using conventional data, the use of lightning data improved the forecast.
Document ID
19990053418
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Chang, D.-E.
(Universities Space Research Association Greenbelt, MD United States)
Morales, C. A.
(Maryland Univ. College Park, MD United States)
Weinman, J. A.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Olson, W. S.
(Maryland Univ. Baltimore County Catonsville, MD United States)
Date Acquired
August 19, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1999
Subject Category
Geophysics
Meeting Information
Meeting: Atmospheric Electricity
Location: Huntsville, AL
Country: United States
Start Date: June 7, 1999
End Date: June 11, 1999
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAS5-32484
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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