TY - JOUR
T1 - A Distinct Class of High Peak-Current Lightning Pulses Over Mountainous Terrain in Thunderstorms
AU - Lyu, Fanchao
AU - Cummer, Steven A.
AU - Krehbiel, Paul R.
AU - Rison, William
AU - Bruning, Eric C.
AU - Rutledge, Steven A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.
PY - 2021/7/28
Y1 - 2021/7/28
N2 - Cloud-to-ground strokes, narrow bipolar events, and energetic in-cloud pulses are known classes of high peak-current lightning processes that occur in thunderstorms. Here, we report one more distinct class of high peak-current events observed exclusively over mountainous terrain, usually above 2,000 m altitude, in the continental Unites States. These events, which we call mountain-top energetic pulses (MEPs), are bipolar pulses with negative radiated field polarities. MEPs are generated between the high mountain tops and compact overhead thunderclouds. Evidence supports the hypothesis that MEPs are produced by terrain-initiated upward positive leaders propagating in high electric fields due to the proximity of the low negative charge regions of the thunderstorms. This scenario further suggests the possibility that MEPs are associated with downward terrestrial gamma-ray flashes, and their high peak currents imply that they may produce elves.
AB - Cloud-to-ground strokes, narrow bipolar events, and energetic in-cloud pulses are known classes of high peak-current lightning processes that occur in thunderstorms. Here, we report one more distinct class of high peak-current events observed exclusively over mountainous terrain, usually above 2,000 m altitude, in the continental Unites States. These events, which we call mountain-top energetic pulses (MEPs), are bipolar pulses with negative radiated field polarities. MEPs are generated between the high mountain tops and compact overhead thunderclouds. Evidence supports the hypothesis that MEPs are produced by terrain-initiated upward positive leaders propagating in high electric fields due to the proximity of the low negative charge regions of the thunderstorms. This scenario further suggests the possibility that MEPs are associated with downward terrestrial gamma-ray flashes, and their high peak currents imply that they may produce elves.
KW - downward TGFs
KW - high peak-current lightning
KW - mountain-top energetic pulses
KW - upward positive leaders
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85111476717&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1029/2021GL094153
DO - 10.1029/2021GL094153
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85111476717
SN - 0094-8276
VL - 48
JO - Geophysical Research Letters
JF - Geophysical Research Letters
IS - 14
M1 - e2021GL094153
ER -