Study of the Atmospheric Electrical Activity through Lightning Jump in the central Argentina

CONSTANZA VILLAGRAM; MARIA G. NICORA; JUAN LUCAS BALI; ELDO E. ÁVILA

Conferencia; XVI International Conference on Atmospheric Electricity; 2018

Different works have shown that the north - central zone of Argentina has a high rate of very intense convective systems with respect to the rate of hailstones, intense precipitations and extreme events (Zipser et al. [2006], Cecil and Blackenship [2012], among other). Satellite evidence, including from TRMM, indicates that the convection in this region is unique in its intense vertical structure, broad horizontal organization, and lightning production. On the other hand, the lightning activity in a thunderstorm is related to the kinetic energy of the thunderstorm updraft. Strong updrafts provide a suitable environment favoring the mixed-phase cloud and precipitation processes, which associated with the electric charge transfer mechanism, can lead to the formation of cloud charge centers. Many studies over the past several decades (Williams [1999], Schultz, [2011].) have attempted to correlate trends in lightning to severe weather occurrence, because the total flash rate rapidly increases several minutes prior to the onset of severe weather (Lightning Jump LJ). Based on these studies we have developed GeoRayos. This work presents a study of the characterization from January to October 2016 on the region [28-35] S of latitude and [60-70] W of longitude by means of the study of Lightning Jump generated by means of the algorithm GeoRayos (Figure 1). This zone is in line with the RELAMPAGO experiment and it is hoped to be able to provide geostatistical data of the LJ as a proxy of severity.