Initiation of lightning flashes simultaneously observed from space and the ground: Narrow bipolar events

• DOI: 10.1016/j.atmosres.2021.105981
• Publication Date: 2021-12-20T16:56:44Z
• Authors: Jesús A. López; Joan Montanyà; Oscar van der Velde; David Romero; Francisco J. Gord...; Francisco J. Pére...; Alejandro Luque; Carlos Augusto Mo...; Torsten Neubert; William Rison; Paul Krehbiel; Javier Navarro Go...; Nikolai Østgaard; Víctor Reglero
• Keywords: Lightning; Atmospheric electricity

We investigate the initiation of four lightning flashes detected from ground by means Colombia Lightning Mapping Array (Colombia-LMA) and simultaneously observed space optical sensors Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor (ASIM) on board International Space Station (ISS), Geostationary Mapper (GLM), Imaging Sensor ISS. The initiations are characterized isolated predominant blue pulses (337.0 nm). In three flashes, red emissions (777.4 nm), a dominant line hot lightning, were not during their initiation. these cases, also accompanied bipolar VLF/LF waveform with narrow short duration (<40 μs) VHF high radio frequency power (<269 kW). detection without any luminosity supports that fast breakdown processes at flash can be exclusively streamer nature. onset fourth was associated both radiation, weak in low power. initiated between midlevel negative upper positive charge regions. This paper presents discusses first (LMA) flashes.