Sprites and mesospheric gravity waves during a summertime mesoscale convective event
Abstract
During the night of 22-23 July 2014, a mesoscale convective system containing several severe thunderstorms over western South Dakota and Nebraska produced a large number of sprites, photographed from the Wyoming Infrared Observatory using Phantom high-speed cameras. Several sprites were located in time and space via comparisons with large-amplitude positive cloud-to-ground (CG) flash locations using national Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) data. We analyze radar, NLDN, and satellite data from this event to examine the origin locations of the sprites relative to storm structure and CG lightning distribution. Additionally, one frame per second images obtained from a low-noise Andor Scientific CMOS camera showed regularly-spaced horizontal striations in the airglow both before and during several of the sprite events, suggesting the presence of vertically-propagating gravity waves in the middle atmosphere. Previous work hypothesized that these gravity waves are generated by the convective event itself and have been observed with other sprite events.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2017
- Bibcode:
- 2017AGUFMAE23A2476V
- Keywords:
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- 3304 Atmospheric electricity;
- ATMOSPHERIC PROCESSES;
- 3324 Lightning;
- ATMOSPHERIC PROCESSES;
- 3394 Instruments and techniques;
- ATMOSPHERIC PROCESSES