| Session Details | |
| Section | AS - Atmospheric Sciences |
| Session Title | Lightning Effects on the Lower, Middle and Upper Atmosphere |
| Main Convener | Prof. Mitsuteru Sato (Hokkaido University, Japan) |
| Co-convener(s) | Dr. Yoav Yair (The Open University of Israel, Israel) Dr. Alfred Chen (National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan) Prof. Yukihiro Takahashi (Hokkaido University, Japan) |
| Session Description | Lightning is the energetic phenomena of electrical breakdown, occurring after charge separation processes operate within thunderstorms. Thunderstorm activity around the world is driving the fair-weather electric field. Since lightning can excite energetic transient phenomena, such as Transient Luminous Events (TLEs) occurring at the stratosphere and mesosphere and Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes (TGFs), lightning has significant impacts on the middle and upper atmosphere. Research shows that lightning is closely related with severe weather and tropical storms like typhoons and hurricanes, often accompanied by torrential rains and flash floods. These facts imply that lightning can be used as a proxy for the prediction of these severe phenomena occurring in the troposphere and affecting the lives and well-beings of millions (with huge damages to property and infrastructure). This session aims to include the recent understanding and advances in lightning, TLEs, TGFs, meteorology of thunderstorms, detection of thunderstorms from space and ground networks, remote sensing of severe weather using lightning, climatic effects of thunderstorms and their impact on the global circuit. Presentations related to these aspects are all welcome. |