Response of lightning energy and total electron content with sprites over Antarctic Peninsula

This paper investigates the response of the lightning energy with the total electron content (TEC) derived from GPS over Antarctic Peninsula during St Patrick’s geomagnetic storm. During this event, sprite as one of the mesospheric transient luminous events (TLEs) associated with positive cloud-to-ground (+CG) lightning discharges can be generated. In this work, GPS and lightning data for the period from 14 to 20 March 2015 is analyzed. Geomagnetic activity and electric field data are also processed to relate the geomagnetic storm and lightning. Results show that during St Patrick’s geomagnetic storm, the lighting energy was produced up to ∼257 kJ. The ionospheric TEC was obtained 60 TECU, 38 TECU and 78 TECU between 18:00 and 21:00 UT for OHI3, PALV and ROTH stations, respectively. The peak of lightning energy was observed 14 hours after peaked of TEC. Sprite possibly generated through the electrical coupling process between the top cloud, middle and upper atmosphere with the DC electric field found to be ∼10 mVm-1 which leading to the sprite generation after the return strokes on 18 March 2015.

[1]  Rolland Fleury,et al.  Middle‐ and low‐latitude ionosphere response to 2015 St. Patrick's Day geomagnetic storm , 2016 .

[2]  Knut Stanley Jacobsen,et al.  Overview of the 2015 St. Patrick's day storm and its consequences for RTK and PPP positioning in Norway , 2016 .

[3]  K. Kusano,et al.  No Major Solar Flares but the Largest Geomagnetic Storm in the Present Solar Cycle , 2015 .

[4]  M. McHarg,et al.  High-Speed Observations of Sprite Streamers , 2013, Surveys in Geophysics.

[5]  Lou‐Chuang Lee,et al.  Absolute optical energy of sprites and its relationship to charge moment of parent lightning discharge based on measurement by ISUAL/AP , 2010 .

[6]  M. Rycroft,et al.  Effects of lightning and sprites on the ionospheric potential, and threshold effects on sprite initiation, obtained using an analog model of the global atmospheric electric circuit , 2010 .

[7]  Rachel J. Steiner,et al.  Recent Results from Studies of Electric Discharges in the Mesosphere , 2008 .

[8]  Baharudin Yatim,et al.  Observations of Antarctic precipitable water vapor and its response to the solar activity based on GPS sensing , 2008 .

[9]  M. Rycroft,et al.  Investigating Earth’s Atmospheric Electricity: a Role Model for Planetary Studies , 2008 .

[10]  M. Rycroft,et al.  The contribution of sprites to the global atmospheric electric circuit , 2006 .

[11]  James B. Brundell,et al.  VLF lightning location by time of group arrival (TOGA) at multiple sites , 2002 .

[12]  Steven A. Cummer,et al.  Lightning charge moment changes for the initiation of sprites , 2002 .

[13]  Walter A. Lyons,et al.  Sprite observations above the U.S. High Plains in relation to their parent thunderstorm systems , 1996 .