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Lightning: Principles, Instruments and Applications pp 347–386Cite as

Schumann Resonance Signatures of Global Lightning Activity

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Abstract

This chapter is concerned with the Earth’s Schumann resonances (SR) and their application to understanding global lightning. The natural electromagnetic waves in the SR frequency range (5 Hz to approx. 60 Hz) radiated by lightning discharges are contained by the Earth-ionosphere cavity. This cavity excitation by lightning can occur as a single energetic flash (a ‘Q-burst’), or as an integration of a large number of less energetic flashes (the ‘background’ resonances). In principle, continuous observations of SR parameters (modal amplitudes, frequencies, and quality factors) provide invaluable information for monitoring the worldwide lightning activity from a single SR station. Relationships between the variation of SR intensity and global lightning activity are shown. Connections between the change of diurnal modal SR frequency range and the areal variation of worldwide lightning are demonstrated. The temporal variation of the diurnal SR frequency patterns characteristic of the global lightning dynamics is also presented. Distortions of ELF waves propagating between the lightning sources and the observer are theoretically discussed based on the TDTE (two-dimensional telegraph equation) technique, focusing on the role of the day-night asymmetry of the Earth-ionosphere cavity. Theoretical and observational results are compared. Both instruments for SR observations and spectral methods for deducing SR parameters are reviewed. Experimental findings by SR on global lightning variations on different time scales (diurnal, seasonal, intraseasonal, annual, semiannual, interannual, 5-day, long-term) are summarized. The growing use of SR measurements as a natural diagnostic for global climate change is emphasized.

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  1. Geodetic and Geophysical Research Institute HAS, 9400 Sopron, Csatkai u. 6-8, Hungary

    Gabriella Sátori

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  1. Gabriella Sátori
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  2. Vadim Mushtak
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  3. Earle Williams
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Physics Department, University of Munich, Am Coulombwall 1, 85748 Garching, Germany

    Hans Dieter Betz

  2. Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, Institut für Physik der Atmosphäre, 82230 Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany

    Ulrich Schumann

  3. Physics Instrumentation and Sensing Department ONERA, 29 avenue de la Division Leclerc, BP 72, 92322 Chatillon, France

    Pierre Laroche

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© 2009 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

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Sátori, G., Mushtak, V., Williams, E. (2009). Schumann Resonance Signatures of Global Lightning Activity. In: Betz, H.D., Schumann, U., Laroche, P. (eds) Lightning: Principles, Instruments and Applications. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9079-0_16

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