Triangulation of red sprites observed above a mesoscale convective system in North China

• 作 者: Wang YongPing Lu GaoPeng Ma Ming Zhang HongBo Fan YanFeng Liu GuoJin Wan ZheRun Wang Yu Peng Kang-Ming Peng ChangZhi Liu FeiFan Zhu BaoYou Ni BinBin Gu XuDong Chen Long Yi Juan Zhou RuoXian
• 机 构: University of Science and Technology of China, School of Earth and Space Science, Hefei 230026, Chin
• 出 处: Earth and Planetary Physics
• 发表日期: 2019年2期
• 关键词: sprite triangulation peak current hybrid location

The triangulation of red sprites was obtained, based on concurrent observations over a mesoscale convective system (MCS) in North China from two stations separated by about 450 km. In addition, broadband sferics from the sprite-producing lightning were measured at five ground stations, making it possible to locate and identify the individual causative lightning discharges for different elements in this dancing sprite event. The results of our analyses indicate that the sprites were produced above the trailing stratiform region of the MCS, and their parent strokes were located mainly in the peripheral area of the stratiform. The lateral offset between sprites and causative strokes ranges from a few km to more than 50 km. In a particularly bright sprite, with a distinct halo feature and streamers descending down to an altitude of approximately 48 km, the sprite current signal identified in the electric sferic, measured at a range of about 1,110 km, peaked at approximately 1 ms after the return stroke.