DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1668
论文题名: Reduction of electron density in the night-time lower ionosphere in response to a thunderstorm
作者: Shao X.-M. ; Lay E.H. ; Jacobson A.R.
刊名: Nature Geoscience
ISSN: 17520894
出版年: 2013
卷: 6, 期: 1 起始页码: 29
结束页码: 33
语种: 英语
Scopus关键词: atmospheric electricity
; electron
; ionosphere
; lightning
; numerical model
; thunderstorm
; waveform analysis
英文摘要: Tropospheric thunderstorms have been reported to disturb the lower ionosphere, at altitudes of 65-90 km, by convective atmospheric gravity waves and by electric field changes produced by lightning discharges. Theoretical simulations suggest that lightning electric fields enhance electron attachment to O 2 and reduce electron density in the lower ionosphere. Owing to the low electron density in the lower ionosphere, active probing of its electron distribution is difficult, and the various perturbative effects are poorly understood. However, it is now possible to probe the lower ionosphere in a spatially and temporally resolved manner by using remotely detected time waveforms of lightning radio signals. Here we report such observations of the night-time ionosphere above a small thunderstorm. We find that electron density in the lower ionosphere decreased in response to lightning discharges. The extent of the reduction is closely related in time and space to the rate of lightning discharges, supporting the idea that the enhanced electron attachment is responsible for the reduction. We conclude that ionospheric electron density variations corresponding to lightning discharges should be considered in future simulations of the ionosphere and the initiation of sprite discharges. © 2013 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved. Citation statistics:
资源类型: 期刊论文
标识符: http://119.78.100.158/handle/2HF3EXSE/106882
Appears in Collections: 气候减缓与适应 科学计划与规划
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作者单位: Space and Remote Sensing Group, ISR-2, MS D436, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, United States; Earth and Space Sciences Department, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, United States
Recommended Citation:
Shao X.-M.,Lay E.H.,Jacobson A.R.. Reduction of electron density in the night-time lower ionosphere in response to a thunderstorm[J]. Nature Geoscience,2013-01-01,6(1)