A cloud-to-ground lightning climatology for north-eastern Italy
This study analyzes the spatial distribution and temporal characteristics of cloud-to-ground lightnings (C2G) in the North East of Italy and the neighboring areas of Austria, Slovenia and Croatia. The dataset consists of about 6.5 millions C2G flash records, both positive and negative, observed betw...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2013-06-01
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| Series: | Advances in Science and Research |
| Online Access: | http://www.adv-sci-res.net/10/77/2013/asr-10-77-2013.pdf |
| Summary: | This study analyzes the spatial distribution and temporal
characteristics of cloud-to-ground lightnings (C2G) in the North East of
Italy and the neighboring areas of Austria, Slovenia and Croatia. The dataset
consists of about 6.5 millions C2G flash records, both positive and negative,
observed between January 1995 and December 2011 by the "Centro
Elettrotecnico Sperimentale Italiano-Sistema Italiano Rilevamento Fulmini''
(CESI/SIRF),
part of the European Cooperation for Lightning Detection (EUCLID)
Network.
<br><br>
The results show that C2G lightnings concentrate in the foothill regions on
the southern flank of the Eastern Alps with a maximum of discharge frequency
of 10 lightnings per km<sup>2</sup> per year. The number of C2G strokes varies
with the period of the year: the most active period for lightning starts in
April and lasts through November with the highest number of C2G strokes
happening during the summer months of July and August, with maximum spatial
density slightly moving from the mountain to the coastal area. The least
frequency of C2G strokes is observed during wintertime. The mean diurnal C2G
lightning activity for the whole domain shows a peak around 16:00–17:00 UTC and
reaches a minimum around 07:00–09:00 UTC; the mean spatial distribution
follows different patterns depending on the period of the day. |
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| ISSN: | 1992-0628 1992-0636 |