Global Lightning Quanta

M. Fullekrug

doi:10.1029/2020JD033201

Global Lightning Quanta

M. Fullekrug

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2 Citations (SciVal)

Abstract

The World Meteorological Organization recently declared lightning an essential climate variable which makes the global lightning flash rate density a key quantity, currently assessed by geostationary satellites and ground-based lightning location networks. Yet, no theory has been put forward to explain the physical relationships between the thermodynamic temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere T, the global lightning flash occurrence frequency f _g, and its radiant energy E of resonant electromagnetic waves within the Earth ionosphere cavity. These three parameters are combined here by adapting the rigorous framework of quantum physics. The minimum amount of radiant energy produced by the lightning flash occurrence frequency is the global lightning quantum E = hf _g, h being Planck’s constant. The superposition of numerous global lightning quanta distributes its radiant energy around the world as Earth ionosphere cavity resonances. The novel theory is in agreement with measurements using a radiometer at Arrival Heights, Antarctica, as part of the Stanford ELF/VLF Radio Noise Survey. It is found that the measurements agree with the theory within ∼30%. The operation of the theory is illustrated with an interpretation of the measurements for an exemplary thermodynamic energy. In this case, the measurements correspond to a radiant temperature ∼−30°C akin to the mixed phase region of thunderclouds where lightning discharges are initiated. The theory can help to assess the mutual impact of climate change and global lightning on each other as proposed by the World Meteorological Organization.

Original language	English
Article number	e2020JD033201
Journal	Journal of Geophysical Research : Atmospheres
Volume	126
Issue number	9
Early online date	5 Apr 2021
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JD033201
Publication status	Published - 16 May 2021

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The work of M.F. was sponsored by the Royal Society (UK) grant NMG/R1/180252 and the Natural Environment Research Council (UK) under grants NE/L012669/1 and NE/H024921/1. M.F. wishes to thank Antony C. Fraser-Smith for numerous insightful discussion over the years and access to measurements at Arrival Heights, Antarctica, as part of the Stanford ELF/VLF Radio Noise Survey. M.F. acknowledges many helpful discussions with Frank Tschepke, Michael Rycroft and Maria Valero. This work was partly initiated by the Schumann resonance WG4 workshop of the European Commission COST action Electronet in Santander Spain, February 25?28, 2020. M.F. wishes to thank Jozs?f B?r and Pablo Fern?ndez de Arr?yabe for their invitation to attend. Special thanks to Frank Tschepke for encouragement and Sol?ne Lapasset for inspiration and most kindly enlightning services to humanity. The author wishes to thank the NASA Global Hydrology Resource Center DAAC for access to the global lightning data V2.3.2015 collected by OTD and LIS, two anonymous reviewers and Earle Williams for their assistance to improve the quality of the manuscript.

Funding Information:
The work of M.F. was sponsored by the Royal Society (UK) grant NMG/R1/180252 and the Natural Environment Research Council (UK) under grants NE/L012669/1 and NE/H024921/1. M.F. wishes to thank Antony C. Fraser‐Smith for numerous insightful discussion over the years and access to measurements at Arrival Heights, Antarctica, as part of the Stanford ELF/VLF Radio Noise Survey. M.F. acknowledges many helpful discussions with Frank Tschepke, Michael Rycroft and Maria Valero. This work was partly initiated by the Schumann resonance WG4 workshop of the European Commission COST action Electronet in Santander Spain, February 25–28, 2020. M.F. wishes to thank Jozséf Bór and Pablo Fernández de Arróyabe for their invitation to attend. Special thanks to Frank Tschepke for encouragement and Solène Lapasset for inspiration and most kindly enlightning services to humanity. The author wishes to thank the NASA Global Hydrology Resource Center DAAC for access to the global lightning data V2.3.2015 collected by OTD and LIS, two anonymous reviewers and Earle Williams for their assistance to improve the quality of the manuscript.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021. The Authors.

Keywords

atmospheric and space electricity
electromagnetic noise
lightning

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Geophysics
Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous)
Space and Planetary Science
Atmospheric Science

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1029/2020JD033201Licence: CC BY

Cite this

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title = "Global Lightning Quanta",

abstract = "The World Meteorological Organization recently declared lightning an essential climate variable which makes the global lightning flash rate density a key quantity, currently assessed by geostationary satellites and ground-based lightning location networks. Yet, no theory has been put forward to explain the physical relationships between the thermodynamic temperature of the Earth{\textquoteright}s atmosphere T, the global lightning flash occurrence frequency f g, and its radiant energy E of resonant electromagnetic waves within the Earth ionosphere cavity. These three parameters are combined here by adapting the rigorous framework of quantum physics. The minimum amount of radiant energy produced by the lightning flash occurrence frequency is the global lightning quantum E = hf g, h being Planck{\textquoteright}s constant. The superposition of numerous global lightning quanta distributes its radiant energy around the world as Earth ionosphere cavity resonances. The novel theory is in agreement with measurements using a radiometer at Arrival Heights, Antarctica, as part of the Stanford ELF/VLF Radio Noise Survey. It is found that the measurements agree with the theory within ∼30%. The operation of the theory is illustrated with an interpretation of the measurements for an exemplary thermodynamic energy. In this case, the measurements correspond to a radiant temperature ∼−30°C akin to the mixed phase region of thunderclouds where lightning discharges are initiated. The theory can help to assess the mutual impact of climate change and global lightning on each other as proposed by the World Meteorological Organization.",

keywords = "atmospheric and space electricity, electromagnetic noise, lightning",

author = "M. Fullekrug",

note = "Funding Information: The work of M.F. was sponsored by the Royal Society (UK) grant NMG/R1/180252 and the Natural Environment Research Council (UK) under grants NE/L012669/1 and NE/H024921/1. M.F. wishes to thank Antony C. Fraser-Smith for numerous insightful discussion over the years and access to measurements at Arrival Heights, Antarctica, as part of the Stanford ELF/VLF Radio Noise Survey. M.F. acknowledges many helpful discussions with Frank Tschepke, Michael Rycroft and Maria Valero. This work was partly initiated by the Schumann resonance WG4 workshop of the European Commission COST action Electronet in Santander Spain, February 25?28, 2020. M.F. wishes to thank Jozs?f B?r and Pablo Fern?ndez de Arr?yabe for their invitation to attend. Special thanks to Frank Tschepke for encouragement and Sol?ne Lapasset for inspiration and most kindly enlightning services to humanity. The author wishes to thank the NASA Global Hydrology Resource Center DAAC for access to the global lightning data V2.3.2015 collected by OTD and LIS, two anonymous reviewers and Earle Williams for their assistance to improve the quality of the manuscript. Funding Information: The work of M.F. was sponsored by the Royal Society (UK) grant NMG/R1/180252 and the Natural Environment Research Council (UK) under grants NE/L012669/1 and NE/H024921/1. M.F. wishes to thank Antony C. Fraser‐Smith for numerous insightful discussion over the years and access to measurements at Arrival Heights, Antarctica, as part of the Stanford ELF/VLF Radio Noise Survey. M.F. acknowledges many helpful discussions with Frank Tschepke, Michael Rycroft and Maria Valero. This work was partly initiated by the Schumann resonance WG4 workshop of the European Commission COST action Electronet in Santander Spain, February 25–28, 2020. M.F. wishes to thank Jozs{\'e}f B{\'o}r and Pablo Fern{\'a}ndez de Arr{\'o}yabe for their invitation to attend. Special thanks to Frank Tschepke for encouragement and Sol{\`e}ne Lapasset for inspiration and most kindly enlightning services to humanity. The author wishes to thank the NASA Global Hydrology Resource Center DAAC for access to the global lightning data V2.3.2015 collected by OTD and LIS, two anonymous reviewers and Earle Williams for their assistance to improve the quality of the manuscript. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021. The Authors.",

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language = "English",

volume = "126",

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N2 - The World Meteorological Organization recently declared lightning an essential climate variable which makes the global lightning flash rate density a key quantity, currently assessed by geostationary satellites and ground-based lightning location networks. Yet, no theory has been put forward to explain the physical relationships between the thermodynamic temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere T, the global lightning flash occurrence frequency f g, and its radiant energy E of resonant electromagnetic waves within the Earth ionosphere cavity. These three parameters are combined here by adapting the rigorous framework of quantum physics. The minimum amount of radiant energy produced by the lightning flash occurrence frequency is the global lightning quantum E = hf g, h being Planck’s constant. The superposition of numerous global lightning quanta distributes its radiant energy around the world as Earth ionosphere cavity resonances. The novel theory is in agreement with measurements using a radiometer at Arrival Heights, Antarctica, as part of the Stanford ELF/VLF Radio Noise Survey. It is found that the measurements agree with the theory within ∼30%. The operation of the theory is illustrated with an interpretation of the measurements for an exemplary thermodynamic energy. In this case, the measurements correspond to a radiant temperature ∼−30°C akin to the mixed phase region of thunderclouds where lightning discharges are initiated. The theory can help to assess the mutual impact of climate change and global lightning on each other as proposed by the World Meteorological Organization.

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KW - atmospheric and space electricity

KW - electromagnetic noise

KW - lightning

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M1 - e2020JD033201

ER -

Global Lightning Quanta

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Radio Tomography for Atmospheric Science

Relativistic Electron Beams Above Thunderclouds

Data for the publication 'Global Lightning Quanta'

Cite this

Global Lightning Quanta

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Projects

Radio Tomography for Atmospheric Science

Relativistic Electron Beams Above Thunderclouds

Datasets

Data for the publication 'Global Lightning Quanta'

Cite this