Seasonal Variability of Lightning Activity in Yakutia in 2009–2019

Abstract

The instrumental continuous monitoring of lightning activity in Yakutia has been carried by the lightning direction finder since the 2000s. Devices for detection of sferic (very low frequency radio pulses emitted by lightning discharges) in Yakutia were supplemented in 2009 with relatively short-range (effective detection radius up to 480 km) single-point Stormtracker and LD-250 direction finders from Boltek Corporation (Welland, ON, Canada). The Stormtracker gives a slightly overestimated ratio of CG strokes due to the amplitude threshold of a single-point direction finder, but the device has not changed over the years, which allows for the consideration of the annual dynamics of parameters. In 2009, a sensor in Yakutsk was included in the World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN). The seasonal and diurnal variations of the total lightning stroke number in the central part and the entire area of Yakutia were obtained (up to 1200 km in radius and limited by latitude–longitude boundaries of 105–150° E, 55–75° N). The longest thunderstorm seasons are often observed in the southern part of Yakutia. There was a slight increase in the duration of the thunderstorm season until 2015 in the central part of Yakutia. The interannual variations in the total number of lightning strokes showed periodic fluctuations (with a period of about three years) over the whole area of Yakutia. The periods of high lightning activity shifted within a season from year to year, as revealed by the monthly stroke number variation. Thus, the maximum lightning rate occurred at the beginning of summer, in the middle or at the beginning of August, and had a period of about three years. Every summer, there were 2–3 periods of high lightning activity, resulting from the moving average with a two-week window (according to the longest duration of cyclones). If the periods of high lightning activity shifted toward the beginning of summer, a decrease in the number of days between seasonal peaks was observed. If the maximum shifted to the beginning of August, the number of days between peaks increased. The ratio of cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning strokes and the ratio of negative CG strokes was slightly decreasing by 2015 in the central part of Yakutia.

Analysis of Spatio-Temporal Variability of Lightning Activity and Wildfires in Western Siberia during 2016–2021

“…As for seasonal variability, the maximum values of lightning occur in July for the whole territory of western Siberia (Figure 5). This is also confirmed by the results, derived in other studies, based on the WWLLN data [35,36] and the results of satellite data [33].…”

“…As for seasonal variability, the maximum values of lightning occur in July for the whole territory of western Siberia (Figure 5). This is also confirmed by the results, derived in other studies, based on the WWLLN data [35,36] and the results of satellite data [33]. The largest number of lightning throughout the time interval is revealed in Area 2 and Area 3, in comparison with the other regions.…”

“…Based on the WWLLN data, studies on the variability of lightning activity and on the identification that forest fires to be caused by lightning were carried out for the following regions of Russia: Gorno-Altaisk [35], Tomsk region [21], Yakutia [36]. Currently, the territory of Western Siberia with various natural landscapes (forest ecosystems, peat bog ecosystems, permafrost zones, and savannas) is understudied for this problem.…”

Анализ 11-Летней Динамики Пространственного Распределения Плотности Молний В Северной Азии

“…Смещение наблюдалось как в дискретном разложении рядов (разрешение в 1 сутки) с помощью дискретного вейвлета Мейера до 5 уровня, а также при простом интегрировании количества грозовых разрядов по всей площади регионов за месяц. Подобное явление смещения максимума сезонного хода наблюдалось в региональных измерениях в Якутии с 2007 года, до этого максимум стабильно приходился на июль [37].…”

Thunderstorms near the North Pole

“…Although such phenomena attract more and more attention, nowadays, there are still relatively few studies devoted to this problem. Ground-based lightning detection networks such as WWLLN [12] have expanded in coverage and sensitivity over the years, but the network structure can pose challenges for long-term trend analysis [13]. Nevertheless, the correlation of thunderstorm activity above 65 • N and global temperature anomaly has been analyzed.…”