Single-station narrowband ranging of active storm cells without lightning-type discrimination

We present a statistical technique for ranging the edges of active storms cell using a very simple narrowband receiver tuned to 1 MHz (the MW band in radio, just below HF frequencies). We show that a principle based on the “30–30 rule” can be used to define practical warning levels. From the measure...

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Veröffentlicht in:Journal of atmospheric and solar-terrestrial physics 2009-06, Vol.71 (8), p.911-922
Hauptverfasser: Mäkelä, Jakke S., Porjo, Niko, Jantunen, Joni, Ahola, Tom, Mäkelä, Antti, Tuomi, Tapio, Cooray, Vernon
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Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:We present a statistical technique for ranging the edges of active storms cell using a very simple narrowband receiver tuned to 1 MHz (the MW band in radio, just below HF frequencies). We show that a principle based on the “30–30 rule” can be used to define practical warning levels. From the measurements carried out in Finland, we show that the narrowband source intensities of cloud-to-ground lightning vary log-normally; this results in a ranging uncertainty of about 20%, which can be reduced if a suitable floating average is used. Based on one storm, we suggest that the differences between intra-cloud and ground-to-cloud signals at 1 MHz are small enough to make an IC–CG discrimination. Eliminating such a discrimination allows all lightning impulses to be used in the range and improves the accuracy, since more flashes are then available as inputs into the distance-estimation algorithm. Although the system is only validated against a single storm, we provide definitions by which this and other narrowband detectors could be independently verified; existing narrowband devices have not been verified in this manner, due in part to a lack of such standardized definitions.
ISSN:1364-6826
1879-1824
1879-1824
DOI:10.1016/j.jastp.2009.03.005