SPATIAL INHOMOGENEITY OF THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY AND EARTH’S CRAVITY FIELD ANOMALIES

Ershova Tatyana Vladimirovna

Information About Author:

The article presents the analysis of recent data on the global distribution of thunderstorm activity obtained from satellites and ground-based lightning detection systems, as well as the World’s Meteorological stations network. Gravity anomalies are considered as additional reasons for the spatial distribution of thunderstorm activity over the Globe. Analyzes maps of lightning discharges density, and maps of Earth’s gravity field anomalies obtained by NASA satellites. It is shown that the vast global centers of thunderstorm activity in central Africa and South America are associated with areas of slight negative gravity anomalies. An exception is the world thunderstorm outbreak in the region of Indonesia and the Philippines, which is located above the intense positive gravity anomaly. Regional analysis in Central Europe showed the presence of thunderstorm cells over the negative gravity anomalies.

Keywords: thunderstorm, lightning discharges density, gravity field of the Earth, Earth’s gravity field anomalies

References:

1. Gorbatenko V. P., Ershova T. V. Molniya kak zveno global’noy elektricheskoy tsepi [Lightning as a link in the global electric circuit]. Tomsk, Izdatel’stvo Tomskogo gosudarstvennogo pedagogicheskogo universiteta Publ, 2011. 204 p (in Russian).

2. Adzhiev A. Kh., Knyazeva Z. M., Yurchenko N. V. Sozdaniye dlya Severnogo Kavkaza karty porazhaemosti territorii razryadami molnii i karty rayonirovaniya po opasnosti vozniknoveniya chrezvychaynykh situatsiy pri grozakh [Creating maps for the North Caucasus territory affection lightning strikes and zoning maps for the risk of emergencies during thunderstorms]. Izvestiya Kabardino-Balkarskogo nauchnogo tsentra RAN – News of the Kabardino-Balkarian Scientifi c Center, RAS, 2013, no. 3, pp. 38–44 (in Russian).

3. Bouquegneau C. Doit-on craindre la foudre? EDP sciences, 2006. 184 p.

4. Vaisala. URL: http://www.vaisala.com (accessed 10 March 2015).

5. Christian H. J., Blakeslee R. J., Boccippio D. J., Boeck W. L., Buechler D. E., Driscoll K. T., Goodman S. J., Hall J. M., Koshak W. J., Mach D. M., Stewart M. F. Global frequency and distribution of lightning as observed from space by the Optical Transient Detector. Journal of Geophysical Research, 2003, vol. 108 (D1). 4005. doi: 10.1029/2002JD00234.

6. Márquez H. Venezuela: Lightning in the Sky Fed by Underground Methane. URL: http://www.ipsnews.net/ (accessed 10 March 2015).

7. Ershova T. V., Gorbatenko V. P. Issledovaniya atmosfernogo elektrichestva v Tomske [The investigation of atmospheric electricity of Tomsk]. Vestnik Tomskogo gosudarstvennogo pedagogicheskogo universiteta – TSPU Bulletin, 2010, no. 9 (99), pp. 178–182 (in Russian).

8. Gorbatenko V. P., Dul’zon A. A., Reshet’ko M. V. Prostranstvennye i vremennye variatsii grozovoy aktivnosti nad Tomskoy oblast’yu [Spatial and temporal variation of thunderstorm activity over the Tomsk region]. Meteorologiya i gidrologiya – Russian Meteorology and Hydrology, 1999, no. 12, pp. 21–28 (in Russian).

9. Gorbatenko V. P., Dul’zon A. A., Gindullin F. A., Ershova T. V., Ippolitov I. I., Kabanov M. V., Loginov S. V. Analiz struktury grozovykh ryadov i faktorov, vliyayushchikh na prostranstvennuyu neodnorodnost’ grozovoy aktivnosti [Analysis of the structure of thunderstorm series and the factors affecting the spatial inhomogeneity of thunderstorm activity]. Proektirovanie i tekhnologiya elektronnykh sredstv. Spetsial’nyy vypusk – Design and technology of electronic means. Special edition, 2004, pp. 61–65 (in Russian).

10. Borisenkov E. P. Rol’ anomaliy gravitatsionnogo polya Zemli v formirovanii konvektivnykh dvizheniy kak stimulyatora grozovoy aktivnosti [The role of the anomalies of the gravitational fi eld of the Earth in the formation of convective motions as a stimulator of thunderstorm activity]. Trudy V Rossiyskoy konferentsii po atmosfernomu elektrichestvu [Proceedings of the V Russian Conference on Atmospheric Electricity]. Vladimir, Tranzit IKS Publ., 2003. Vol. II. Pp. 42–44 (in Russian).

11. Seliverstov Yu. P., Bobkov A. A. Zemlevedeniye: uchebnoye posobiye dlya vuzov [Geography: textbook]. Moscow, Akademiya Publ., 2007. 302 p. (in Russian).

12. Murray T. Greenland’s ice on the scales. Nature, 2006, vol. 443, pp.277–278.

13. NASA. Global Hydrology Resource Center. Lightning and atmospheric electricity research. URL: http://thunder.nsstc.nasa.gov/lis/ (accessed 10 March 2015).

14. Gorbatenko V., Ershova T., Ribina N., Thern S. Statistical characteristics of the lightning in Germany. Proceedings of the 29th International Conference on Lightning Protection, ICLP-2008, Uppsala, Sweden. 2008. Pp. 291–297.

( 406 kB ) ( 399.73 kB )

Issue: 11, 2015

Series of issue: Issue 11

Rubric: GEOGRAPHY

Pages: 169 — 173

Downloads: 570