On the Relationship Between Lightning Characteristics and LNOx Production: Insights from TROPOMI NO2 retrieval and Lightning Mapping Array Measurements in the Ebro Valley

Abstract

Lightning is one of the main sources of NOX in the Earth's atmosphere, contributing to about 10% of total sources of atmospheric NOX. NOX produced by lightning (LNOX) is about 6 times more efficient in driving ozone production than anthropogenic NOX emissions because it is injected in the mid upper troposphere: producing about 100 molecules of ozone per molecule of LNOX. Despite the importance of LNOX in the chemical composition of the atmosphere, there is a large variability in NOX production during the lifetime of thunderstorms [1]. In this stud}; we used the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) cloud and NO2 research products along with Lightning Mapping Array measurements to investigate the possible relation between the amount of NOX produced per lightning flash and flash channel length in the Ebro Valley. We found a possible positive relationship between both variables In turn, the vertical structure of the analyzed lightning flashes indicates that longer flashes could release more LNOX at lower altitudes than shorter flashes, while higher flash rates produce less LNOX per flash. These findings present novel pathways towards improving the parameterization of LNOX within chemistry-climate models.