The positive charge reservoir for sprite-producing lightning

✍ Scribed by Earle R. Williams

• Book ID: 104407762
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 130 KB
• Volume: 60
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1364-6826
• DOI: 10.1016/s1364-6826(98)00030-3

✦ Synopsis

The close association of mesospheric sprites with positive ground ~ashes has led to the frequent assumption that positive charge is transferred from the top of a thunderstorm with positive!over!negative charge structure\ from an altitude of 09 km or higher[ Electrical and meteorological observations are reviewed which support a di}erent picture] sprites are produced by laterally extensive mesoscale convective systems "MCS# in which the positive charge reservoir predominates in the 3Ð5 km ranges of altitude[ The behavior of the surface electric _eld during the End!of!Storm Oscillation and the behavior of the vertical electric _eld above MCS during positive ground ~ashes both suggest a predominant in!cloud dipole moment with opposite polarity to that of the ordinary thundercloud[ Lightning charge transfers of a few hundred Coulombs from the 3Ð5 km height range may be required for consistency with theories for sprite optical intensity and to account for ELF Q!burst intensity[ Þ 0887 Elsevier Science Ltd[ All rights reserved