Houston Environmental Aerosol Thunderstorm (HEAT) Project - 2004/2005

For over thirteen years the National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) has been in operation collecting cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning data for the continental United States. Geographical areas of enhanced lightning flashes, or `hot spots', have been detected in this data set. One such observed hot spot is near the city of Houston, Texas, the most polluted city in the United States. The phenomenon has been studied with the available data and hypotheses made as to the reason for the lightning hot spot. However, more comprehensive data sets are needed in order to further examine this occurrence. The Houston Environmental Aerosol Thunderstorm (HEAT) Project will obtain the data sets necessary for further study of the hot spot near Houston and is planned for the summers of 2004/2005. The primary goals of HEAT are to examine the effects of pollution, the urban heat island, and the complex coastline on storms and lightning characteristics in the Houston area. In addition we will determine the relative amounts of lightning-produced and convectively transported NOx