First observations of elves and their causative very strong lightning discharges in an unusual small‐scale continental spring‐time thunderstorm

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F67985815%3A_____%2F21%3A00535736" target="_blank" >RIV/67985815:_____/21:00535736 - isvavai.cz</a>

Alternative codes found

RIV/68378289:_____/21:00535736 RIV/00216208:11320/21:10439547

Result on the web

<a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2020JD032825" target="_blank" >https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2020JD032825</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2020JD032825" target="_blank" >10.1029/2020JD032825</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

First observations of elves and their causative very strong lightning discharges in an unusual small‐scale continental spring‐time thunderstorm

Original language description

We show for the first time that elves can be produced by an unusual small‐scale continental spring‐time thunderstorm. The storm occurred in Central Europe, covered a very small area of ∼50 km x ∼30 km and lasted only for ∼4 hours on 2 April 2017. The fraction of intense positive cloud‐to‐ground lightning strokes was unusually high, reaching 55 %, with a mean peak current of 64 kA. The peak currents of return strokes (RS) associated with elves exceeded ∼300 kA. Elves and their causative RS have been observed with different optical and electromagnetic recordings. Signatures of ionospheric disturbances indicating the presence of elves were found in measurements of displacement currents, ionospheric reflections of sferics and man‐made narrow‐band transmissions. All these electromagnetic observations coincide with four optical detections of elves and strongly suggest the occurrence of two more elves later in the decaying phase of the storm. Surprisingly, the same electromagnetic measurements indicate that other strong strokes did not produce any elves. Our simulation results show that the formation of an elve is not only determined by the high‐peak current of their causative strokes but that it is also controlled by the conductivity of the lightning channels and velocity of the current wave front. We hypothesize that because of a lower conductivity of RS lightning channels and/or slower current waves only very strong strokes with peak currents above ∼300 kA might have been capable to produce observable elves during this thunderstorm.

Czech name

—

Czech description

—

Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

10308 - Astronomy (including astrophysics,space science)

Project

<a href="/en/project/GA20-09671S" target="_blank" >GA20-09671S: Investigation of lightning discharges at different scales</a><br>

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2021

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres

ISSN

2169-897X

e-ISSN

2169-8996

Volume of the periodical

126

Issue of the periodical within the volume

1

Country of publishing house

US - UNITED STATES

Number of pages

23

Pages from-to

e2020JD032825

UT code for WoS article

000616529300007

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85099538927