Westermayer, Anja and Groenemeijer, Pieter and Pistotnik, Georg and Sausen, Robert and Faust, Eberhard (2017) Identification of favorable environments for thunderstorms in reanalysis data. Meteorologische Zeitschrift, 26 (1), pp. 59-70. Borntraeger Science Publishers. doi: 10.1127/metz/2016/0754. ISSN 0941-2948.
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Abstract
The relations between lightning occurrence over Europe from the EUCLID network (2008–2013) and parameters derived from ERA-Interim reanalysis data were studied to increase the understanding of the conditions under which thunderstorms form. The objective was to identify relevant factors beyond instability and convective inhibition, in order to better model thunderstorms using numerical weather prediction or climate model data. It was found that latent instability is only required up to a certain amount of approximately 200–400 J kg-1 CAPE. For higher values of CAPE (∼ 800–2800 J kg-1), the relative frequency of lightning is rather constant. Relative humidity in the low to mid-troposphere has a major influence on storm occurrence with low relative humidity strongly suppressing thunderstorm development. For an average 850–500 hPa relative humidity below 50%, the frequency of lightning decreases to below 15%, even when CIN is negligible and CAPE sufficient. A subtle dependency on wind shear was found in which two regimes of higher frequency of lightning were identified. For very weak and for high shear the probability was higher than for intermediate values of both deep-layer and low-level shear.
Item URL in elib: | https://elib.dlr.de/111089/ | ||||||||||||||||||
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Document Type: | Article | ||||||||||||||||||
Additional Information: | Note: While the online Version of the article appeared in summer 2016, the printed volume was released only in Feb. 2017. Therefore this publication carries 2017 as publication year. | ||||||||||||||||||
Title: | Identification of favorable environments for thunderstorms in reanalysis data | ||||||||||||||||||
Authors: |
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Date: | 2017 | ||||||||||||||||||
Journal or Publication Title: | Meteorologische Zeitschrift | ||||||||||||||||||
Refereed publication: | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||
Open Access: | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||
Gold Open Access: | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||
In SCOPUS: | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||
In ISI Web of Science: | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||
Volume: | 26 | ||||||||||||||||||
DOI: | 10.1127/metz/2016/0754 | ||||||||||||||||||
Page Range: | pp. 59-70 | ||||||||||||||||||
Publisher: | Borntraeger Science Publishers | ||||||||||||||||||
ISSN: | 0941-2948 | ||||||||||||||||||
Status: | Published | ||||||||||||||||||
Keywords: | convective initiation, thunderstorm, reanalysis | ||||||||||||||||||
HGF - Research field: | Aeronautics, Space and Transport | ||||||||||||||||||
HGF - Program: | Transport | ||||||||||||||||||
HGF - Program Themes: | Transport System | ||||||||||||||||||
DLR - Research area: | Transport | ||||||||||||||||||
DLR - Program: | V VS - Verkehrssystem | ||||||||||||||||||
DLR - Research theme (Project): | V - Verkehrsentwicklung und Umwelt II (old) | ||||||||||||||||||
Location: | Oberpfaffenhofen | ||||||||||||||||||
Institutes and Institutions: | Institute of Atmospheric Physics > Earth System Modelling | ||||||||||||||||||
Deposited By: | Sausen, Prof.Dr. Robert | ||||||||||||||||||
Deposited On: | 10 Feb 2017 12:08 | ||||||||||||||||||
Last Modified: | 08 Mar 2018 18:46 |
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