Globalization extension of transient luminous events from FORMOSAT-2 observation

Chern, Jeng-Shing; Wu, An-Ming; Lin, Shin-Fa

doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2014.01.014

Cited by 8 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Therefore, the production rate of NO by a halo can be approximated in terms of energy as 10 16 molecules of NO/J, 1 order of magnitude lower than the production rate of NO by lightning, estimated in 10 17 molecules of NO/J (Price et al, ). The ISUAL instrument observations estimated an annual occurrence of TLEs about 1.2 ×10 7 (Chern et al, ). The 6% of the observed TLEs by ISUAL were halos.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We analyze the elves triggered by CG lightning discharges whose current peaks are 90, 154, and 220 kA. The weakest of these discharges produces an elve slightly above the ISUAL detection threshold, estimated in parent lightning discharges with peak currents about 80 kA (Chern et al, ; Kuo et al, ), while the strongest discharge corresponds to a typical CG with a risetime of 40μs (Rakov & Uman, ). The simulated elves triggered by CG lightning discharges with current peaks of 90, 110, and 220 kA create about 5 ×10 17 , 6 ×10 19 NO, and 4 ×10 20 NO molecules, respectively, in agreement with Blaes et al ().…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to Barrington-Leigh and Inan (1999), the lightning peak current threshold for the production of elves is about 60 kA, while new results suggest that this threshold is 88 kA (Blaes et al, 2016). The detection threshold for elves of the ISUAL instrument is estimated to be around 80 kA (Chern et al, 2014;Kuo et al, 2007).…”

Section: 1029/2017jd028235mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to these quantities, the production rate of NO by elves in terms of energy would be in the range between 2.5×10 12 molecules of NO/J and 4×10 14 molecules of NO/J, that is, between 4 and 2 orders of magnitude below the NO production rate of halos. According to ISUAL observations, the global annual occurence of TLEs is about 1.2×10 7 [Chern et al, 2014], among which 74% are elves. The results of our elve simulations together with the observation of elves by ISUAL allow us to estimate that the total global amount of NO created by elves ranges between 10 −10 Tg N / y and 10 −7 Tg N / y.…”

Section: 6e+14mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Modeling the Chemical Impact and the Optical Emissions Produced by Lightning‐Induced Electromagnetic Fields in the Upper Atmosphere: The case of Halos and Elves Triggered by Different Lightning Discharges

2018

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Halos and elves are transient luminous events produced in the lower ionosphere as a consequence of lightning‐driven electromagnetic fields. These events can influence the upper atmospheric chemistry and produce optical emissions. We have developed different two‐dimensional self‐consistent models that couple electrodynamical equations with a chemical scheme to simulate halos and elves produced by vertical cloud‐to‐ground lightning discharges, compact intracloud discharges and energetic in‐cloud pulses. The optical emissions from radiative relaxation of excited states of molecular and atomic nitrogen and oxygen have been calculated. We have upgraded previous local models of halos and elves to calculate for the first time the vibrationally detailed optical spectra of elves triggered by compact intracloud discharges and energetic in‐cloud pulses. According to our results, the optical spectra of elves do not depend on the type of parent lightning discharge. Finally, we have quantified the local chemical impact in the upper atmosphere of single halos and elves. In the case of the halo, we follow the cascade of chemical reactions triggered by the lightning‐produced electric field during a long‐time simulation of up to 1 s. We obtain a production rate of NO molecules by single halos and elves of 1016 and 1014 molecules/J, respectively. The results of these local models have been used to estimate the global production of NO by halos and elves in the upper atmosphere at ∼10−7 Tg N/year. This global chemical impact of halos and elves is 7 orders of magnitude below the production of NO in the troposphere by lightning discharges.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: 1029/2017jd028235mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: 6e+14mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Modeling the Chemical Impact and the Optical Emissions Produced by Lightning‐Induced Electromagnetic Fields in the Upper Atmosphere: The case of Halos and Elves Triggered by Different Lightning Discharges

2018

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“…The main science results from ISUAL come from the first complete global survey of the occurrence distribution of different TLEs [ Chen et al ., ; Hsu et al ., ; Lee et al ., ]. During the first 10 years of science operations ISUAL recorded more than 31,000 TLEs [ Chern et al ., ]. Sprites, halos, and jets occur primarily over large land masses, while elves are generated primarily over oceans.…”

Section: Main Science Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Imager for Sprites and Upper Atmospheric Lightning (ISUAL)

et al. 2016

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The Imager for Sprites and Upper Atmospheric Lightning (ISUAL) was the first specifically dedicated instrument to observe lightning‐induced transient luminous events (TLE): sprites, elves, halos, and gigantic jets from space. The Imager is an intensified CCD system operating in the visible wavelength region with a filter wheel to select from six positions with filters. The Imager has a 5° × 20° (vertical times horizontal) field of view. The spectrophotometer (SP) is populated with six photometers with individual filters for emissions from the far ultraviolet to the near infrared. An array photometer with two channels operating in the blue and red provides altitude profiles of the emission over 16 altitude bins each. The Associated Electronics Package (AEP) controls instrument functions and interfaces with the spacecraft. ISUAL was launched 21 May 2004 into a Sun‐synchronous 890 km orbit on the Formosat‐2 satellite and has successfully been collecting data ever since. ISUAL is running on the nightside of the orbit and is pointed to the east of the orbit down toward the limb. The instrument runs continuously and writes data to a circular buffer. Whenever the SP detects a sudden signal increase above a preset threshold, a trigger signal is generated that commands the system to keep the data for about 400 ms starting from ~50 ms before the trigger. Over its lifetime of ~11 years the system recorded thousands of TLE and also successfully observed aurora and airglow.

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Mission operations of the handicapped FORMOSAT-2

Lin

Chern

2014

Acta Astronautica

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Globalization extension of transient luminous events from FORMOSAT-2 observation

Cited by 8 publications

References 17 publications

Modeling the Chemical Impact and the Optical Emissions Produced by Lightning‐Induced Electromagnetic Fields in the Upper Atmosphere: The case of Halos and Elves Triggered by Different Lightning Discharges

Modeling the Chemical Impact and the Optical Emissions Produced by Lightning‐Induced Electromagnetic Fields in the Upper Atmosphere: The case of Halos and Elves Triggered by Different Lightning Discharges

The Imager for Sprites and Upper Atmospheric Lightning (ISUAL)

Mission operations of the handicapped FORMOSAT-2

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