Investigating possible links between incoming cosmic ray fluxes and lightning activity over the United States

Journal of Climate

Volumn 22, Issue 21, 2009, Pages 5748-5754

  Chronis, Themis G ^a  

^a INSTITUTE OF OCEANOGRAPHY   (Greece)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

ATMOSPHERIC COUPLING; CLOUD MICROPHYSICAL PROCESS; COSMIC RAY FLUX; GALACTIC COSMIC RAYS; GLOBAL ELECTRIC CIRCUIT; LIGHTNING ACTIVITY; LIGHTNING DETECTION; POTENTIAL IMPACTS; STUDY AREAS; SUMMER SEASON; UPPER TROPOSPHERE; WINTER SEASONS;

COSMOLOGY; GALAXIES; LIGHTNING;

COSMIC RAYS;

CLOUD MICROPHYSICS; COSMIC RAY; DETECTION METHOD; LIGHTNING; OBSERVATIONAL METHOD; SUMMER; TROPOSPHERE;

UNITED STATES;

EID: 77649317357     PISSN: 08948755     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1175/2009JCLI2912.1     Document Type: Article

References (34)

1. Bazilevskaya, G. A., 2000: Observations of variability in cosmic rays. Space Sci. Rev., 94, 25-38.
2. Brooks, C. F. P., 1934: The variation of the annual frequency of thunderstorms in relation to sunspots. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 60, 153-165.
3. Carslaw, K. S., R. G. Harrison, and J. Kirkby, 2002: Cosmic rays, clouds and climate. Science, 298, 1732-1737.
4. Christian, H. J., and Coauthors, 2003: Global frequency and distribution of lightning as observed from space by the Optical Transient Detector. J. Geophys. Res., 108, 4005, doi:10.1029/2002JD002347.
5. Cummins, K. L., E. A. Bardo, W. L. Hiscox, R. B. Pyle, and A. E. Pifer, 1995: A combined TOA/MDF technology upgrade of the U.S. National Lightning Detection Network. Proc. Int. Aerospace and Ground Conference on Lightning and Static Electricity, Williamsburg, VA, U.S. Navy Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, 72.1.
6. Cummins, K. L., E. P. Krider, and M. D. Malone, 1998: The U.S. National Lightning Detection Network and applications of cloud-toground lightning by electric power utilities. IEEE Trans. Electromagn. Compat., 40, 465-480.
7. Ely, J. T. A., 1984: Cosmic rays, solar activity, magnetic coupling and lightning incidence. NASA Tech. Memo. NAS8-33884, 17 pp.
8. Goodman, S. J., 2003: Atmospheric electrical activity and the prospects for improving short-term weather forecasting, Preprints, 12th Int. Conf. on Atmospheric Electricity, Versailles, France, The International Commission on Atmospheric Electricity (ICAE).
9. Goodman, S. J., 2008: Geostationary Lightning Mapper for GOES-R and beyond. Preprints, Fifth GOES Users' Conf., New Orleans, LA, Amer. Meteor. Soc., 2.3.
10. Harrison, R. G., 2004: The global atmospheric electrical circuit and climate. Surv. Geophys., 25, 441-484.
11. Harrison, R. G., and K. S. Carslaw, 2003: Ion-aerosol cloud processes in the lower atmosphere. Rev. Geophys., 41, 1-26.
12. Herman, J. R., and R. A. Goldberg, 1978: Sun, weather and climate. NASA SP-426, 11 pp.
13. Kniveton, D. R., and M. C. Todd, 2001: On the relationship of cosmic ray flux and precipitation. Geophys. Res. Lett., 28, 1527-1530.
14. Lethbridge, M. D., 1981: Cosmic rays and thunderstorm frequency. Geophys Res. Lett., 8, 521.
15. Markson, R., 1983: Solar modulation of fair weather and thunderstorm electrification and a proposed program to test an atmospheric electrical sun-weather mechanism. Weather and Climate Responses to Solar Variations, B. M. McCormac, Ed., Colorado Associated University Press, 323-343.
16. Markson, R., and M. Muir, 1980: Solar wind control of the Earth's electric field. Science, 206, 979.
17. Markson, R., and C. Price, 1999: Ionospheric potential as a proxy index for global temperature. Atmos. Res., 51, 309-314.
18. Marsh, N., and H. Svensmark, 2004: Comment on "Solar influences on cosmic rays and cloud formation: A reassessment" by Bomin Sun and Raymond S. Bradley J. Geophys. Res., 109, D14205, doi:10.1029/2003JD004063.
19. Murphy, M. J., N. W. S. Demetriades, R. L. Holle, and K. L. Cummins, 2006: Overview of capabilities and performance of the U.S. National Lightning Detection Network. Preprints, 12th Conf. on Aviation Range and Aerospace Meteorology and Second Conf. on Meteorological Applications of Lightning Data, Tucson, AZ, Amer. Meteor. Soc., J2.5. [Available online at http://ams.confex.com/ams/pdfpapers/103980.pdf.]
20. Olson, D. E., 1983: Interpretation of the solar influence on the atmospheric electrical parameters. Weather and Climate Responses to Solar Variations, B. M. McCormac, Ed., Colorado Associated University Press, 483-488.
21. Orville, R. E., and G. R. Huffines, 2001: Cloud-to-Ground lightning in the United States: NLDN results in the first decade, 1989-1998. Mon. Wea. Rev., 129, 1179-1193.
22. Palle, E., C. J. Butler, and K. O'Brien, 2004: The possible connection between ionization in the atmosphere by cosmic rays and low level clouds. J. Atmos. Sol. Terr. Phys., 66, 1779-1790.
23. Petersen, W. A., and S. A. Rutledge, 2001: Regional variability in tropical convection: Observations from TRMM. J. Climate, 14, 3566-3586.
24. Schlegel, K., G. Diendorfer, S. Thern, and M. Schmidt, 2001: Thunderstorms, lightning and solar activity-Middle Europe. J. Terr. Sol. Phys., 63, 1705-1713.
25. Stringfellow, M. F., 1974: Lightning incidence in Britain and the solar cycle. Nature, 249, 332-333.
26. Tinsley, B. A., 1996: Influence of the solar wind on the global electric circuit, and inferred effects on cloud microphysics, temperature, and dynamics of the troposphere. Space Sci. Rev., 94, 231-258.
27. Tinsley, B. A., 2000: Influence of the solar wind on the global electric circuit, and inferred effects on cloud microphysics, temperature, and dynamics of the troposphere. Space Sci. Rev., 94, 231-258.
28. Tinsley, B. A., 2004: Scavenging of condensation nuclei in clouds: Dependence of sign of electro-scavenging effect on droplet and CCN sizes. Proc. Int. Conf. on Clouds and Precipitation, Bologna, Italy, IAMS, 248.
29. Tinsley, B. A., and G. W. Deen, 1991: Apparent tropospheric response to MeV-GeV particle flux variations: A connection via electro-freezing of super-cooled water in high level clouds? J. Geophys. Res., 96, 22 283-22 296.
30. Tinsley, B. A., and F. Yu, 2004: Atmospheric ionization and clouds as links between solar activity and climate. Solar Variability and Its Effects on Climate, Geophys. Monogr., Vol. 141., Amer. Geophys. Union, 321-339.
31. Tinsley, B. A., and L. Zhou, 2006: Initial results of a global circuit model with stratospheric and tropospheric aerosols. J. Geophys. Res., 111, D16205, doi:10.1029/2005JD006988.
32. Tinsley, B. A., G. B. Burns, and L. Zhou, 2007: The role of the global electric circuit in solar and internal forcing of clouds and climate. Adv. Space Res., 40, 1126-1139.
33. Williams, E. R., 2005: Lightning and climate: A review. Atmos. Res., 76, 272-287.
34. Yu, F., and R. P. Turco, 2000: Ultrafine aerosol formation via ionmediated nucleation. Geophys. Res. Lett., 27, 883-886.