The Horizontal Extent of Lightning Based on Altitude and Atmosphere Temperature

<p>Lightning poses a threat to aircraft in flight. In order to mitigate that threat the U.S. Air Force C-17 System Program Office requested a study of how far lightning can travel from a thunderstorm. To meet this request three-dimensional lightning data were examined from the period 1 March 1997 to 31 May 2001 obtained from the Lightning Detection and Ranging System (LDAR) at the Kennedy Space Center Florida. The LDAR data points were first grouped sequentially into lightning flashes and branches using spatial and temporal criteria. This study examined those branches whose parent flash source point was within 60 km of LDAR. Next rawinsonde data were linearly interpolated in the vertical to determine the temperature of the flash source point and each branch end point. The horizontal distance from flash source to branch end was then calculated.</p><p>This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore you will see the original copyright references library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world) and other notations in the work.</p><p>This work is in the public domain in the United States of America and possibly other nations. Within the United States you may freely copy and distribute this work as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.</p><p>As a reproduction of a historical artifact this work may contain missing or blurred pages poor pictures errant marks etc. Scholars believe and we concur that this work is important enough to be preserved reproduced and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.</p>