UPDATED 15 JANUARY 2012
Updates will be posted below information summary below!
Lightning study and research on lightning
Since late 2010 I decided I wanted to research the physical and optical attributes on lightning around Darwin. Primarily the initiation of upward leader lightning arising from single cloud to ground flashes. If locations in Darwin's rural area and inland promoted such flashes whether they be from tall structures such as communications towers, hills or if in fact land based upward leaders resulted from either positive or negative strokes from thunderstorms.
Lightning physics is highly complex and to undertake such research is time consuming and a lot of theory is constantly being done by myself to further understand this phenomena and how it may impact both communication and powerline systems. Starting over during the 2010/11 storm season chasing I, with the aid of sponsorship from HamiltonPhotoNT, was able to obtain some research material and equipment to try and film such events during lightning storms.
The project is not without considerable time and effort in locating such storms, especially given lightning is not always something that wants to be present where you want it. Initially through last season a major monsoon event with a cyclone totally ruined most chase days with continually weak storms and rain. Those days that were chased were fruitful in producing storms, but limited lightning from these storms frustrated me no end, but some optical aspects etc were able to be noted to assist inconjunction with applying the theory to it.
I'm optomistic for the season approaching that with such a good dry season the normality of our famed stormy weather will again return without an early/extended monsoon. The research is to be conducted over several years with the aid of Tom Warner in the USA always willing to talk and offer articles pertaining to lightning and viewing his own lightning physics work, it is all coming into place.
Storm chasing is a given, but finding those lightning active storms that produce abundant flashes where I need them can be a difficult aspect to chasing. It either produces lightning on the other side of the storm of right in front of you, but this is all part of the study because in reality it all fits in together.
Technical aspects of the research will come together during the field exercises and when further equipment becomes available to me along the way. It's not just a case of watching it and filming it, that would be too easy - disecting the footage when it becomes available during filming is the first step in understand what is going on with lightning. It's a new challenge and I am enjoying every minute of it.
I will update this page when the vision and stills I am after when they present themselves and give some details on what I find along the journey.
The research has been going very well since the implimentation of the lightning sensor attached to my home. An apartment complex in Darwin was stuck by a -CG with strong continuing current during Nov/Dec storms that produced a prolific amount of lightning. Overall there were about 1800 strikes total, with 600 flashes in Darwin alone. There has been only one upward leader stroke observed during the storms I have chased, but this does not mean there has not been some somewhere. They are elusive beasts and topography does have some bearing on their production where there are no storms initiating around tall communication towers and the like. Large KAmp strokes have been recorded since December with over 14 over 200KAmp, two of which attained 280+KAmp status which is significant.
I have obtained daily stats of all lightning strokes within a 300-500km radius around Darwin and part of the research involves stroke multiplicity, grounding frequency and amount of BFB's ejected during particular storms observed. HS video of a nighttime BFB shows great leader activity and continuing current. I will add these once I have gone through all the videos and deleted ones of no informative value. They take quite a long time to observe and process because of the frame rates, 1 second of footage can take up to an hour.
I will be conducting analysis on the damaged building in Darwin and will add some report notes and more images as they are taken. Atop the complex there are two lightning protection devices and neither of them attracted the stroke, which was very odd!
During my field work I witness one particular flash that un-beknown to me, almost struck two other chasers SE of my actual location. The stroke hit behind them and both suffered minor tingling and numbness in their arms. They are extremely fortunate not to have been killed or seriously injured.
The offending flash:
Damage to building from lightning flash in Nov/Dec 2011 - investigation this week 16 Jan 2012
NEW ! * LIGHTNING SENSOR TO AID RESEARCH
Some exciting developments re lightning research tools! Darwin is without a sensor that acurately detects strikes. Sensors are located in QLD and WA and some parts of the NT but these generically detect flashes from sensors too distant for accuracy. Kattron Lightning Detection Network Australia VIEW KATTRON'S SITE HERE and I have had discussions and an agreement has been reached for them to send me a lightning sensor to install on top of my roof. Coverage extends up to 300km and is extremely accurate. Information made available through software will aid the research by allowing me to see instantly where, when, and what polarity the strike was. As far as the research aspect is concerned this is vital to upward leader flashes and sprites to determine if, which flash initiated them. I am excited about this new agreement and being able to work with Ken's expertise and experience along with his business partners in collecting lightning data from Darwin - accurately! If you're in any way interested in receiving real time lightning strike data Australia wide or lightning protection, then contact them at the link above.
Research has begun and with the long break between seasons the theory aspect has enhanced my own personal knowledge of lightning physics immenslty. Special thanks to Tom Warner from ZT ResearchTom Warner's site for his ongoing advice and assistance with articles and outstanding knowledge of lightning.
There are two main areas of interest chase wise to capture regualar and differing lightning types in the rural area here in Darwin. The thunderstorms showing typical bi-polar charge fields during their electrification process once rimification commences I have seen that from what is written in the articles of lightning initiation, all has been observed to be the same here. Whilst some thunderstorms did not produce any visible CG activity, let alone IC flashing, the storms with a drier mid level section did produce a high flash rate within the kilometres viewed during their lifecycle.
Many-CG flashes were expected and photographed, but non as yet on HS video of note. One flash in particular on 25Oct was a -CG which struck a floating buoy only 100m off shore. The flash produced 3 return strokes with the third stroke displaying continuing current for at least 1.5-2seconds in duration. It was an amazing display of current draw from the storm. The buoy lit up like a xmas tree during the final return stroke. There was one particular -CG which by eye only flashed 2 or 3 times, but upon reviewing the HS video @ 300fps it in fact return stroked up to 12 times in the same channel.
Once November comes the storms will be a lot more lightning active and severe given our transition phase from dry season to wet season. More updates as they come to fruition! Below are two video links of the lightning captured of note.
