This study examined lightning activity and its relationship to precipitation and convective available potential energy （CAPE） in South China during 2001-12, based on data from the Guangdong Lightning Location System...This study examined lightning activity and its relationship to precipitation and convective available potential energy （CAPE） in South China during 2001-12, based on data from the Guangdong Lightning Location System, the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite, and the ERA-Interim dataset. Two areas of high lightning density are identified： one over the Pearl River Delta, and the other to the north of Leizhou Peninsula. Large peak-current cloud-to-ground （LPCCG） lightning （〉75 kA） shows weaker land-offshore contrasts than total CG lightning, in which negative cloud-to-ground （NCG） lightning occurs more prominently than positive cloud-to-ground （PCG） lightning on land, While the frequency of total CG lightning shows a main peak in June and a second peak in August, the LPCCG lightning over land shows only a single peak in June. The ratio of positive LPCCG to total lightning is significantly greater during February-April than during other times of the year. Diurnally, CG lightning over land shows only one peak in the afternoon, whereas CG lightning offshore shows morning and afternoon peaks. The rain yield per flash is on the order of 107-108 kg per flash across the analysis region, and its spatial distribution is opposite to that of lightning density. Our data show that lightning activity over land is more sensitive than that over offshore waters to CAPE. The relationships between lightning activity and both precipitation and CAPE are associated with convection activity in the analysis region.展开更多
基金supported by Basic Research Fund of Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences(Grant No.2013Z006 and 2014R017)National Key Basic Research Program of China(2014CB441402 and 2014CB441406)Technology Foundation for Selected Overseas Chinese Scholar,Ministry of Personnel of China
文摘This study examined lightning activity and its relationship to precipitation and convective available potential energy （CAPE） in South China during 2001-12, based on data from the Guangdong Lightning Location System, the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite, and the ERA-Interim dataset. Two areas of high lightning density are identified： one over the Pearl River Delta, and the other to the north of Leizhou Peninsula. Large peak-current cloud-to-ground （LPCCG） lightning （〉75 kA） shows weaker land-offshore contrasts than total CG lightning, in which negative cloud-to-ground （NCG） lightning occurs more prominently than positive cloud-to-ground （PCG） lightning on land, While the frequency of total CG lightning shows a main peak in June and a second peak in August, the LPCCG lightning over land shows only a single peak in June. The ratio of positive LPCCG to total lightning is significantly greater during February-April than during other times of the year. Diurnally, CG lightning over land shows only one peak in the afternoon, whereas CG lightning offshore shows morning and afternoon peaks. The rain yield per flash is on the order of 107-108 kg per flash across the analysis region, and its spatial distribution is opposite to that of lightning density. Our data show that lightning activity over land is more sensitive than that over offshore waters to CAPE. The relationships between lightning activity and both precipitation and CAPE are associated with convection activity in the analysis region.
