Comparison of Simultaneous Lightning Observation from Ground and Geostationary Orbit

Current lightning detection methodologies only measure a subset of a complete lightning flash. Ground based optical measurements are notoriously difficult to capture, and can supplement both space based optical and ground based radio measurements. It is unclear if ground sensors see the same events as space sensors because lightning channels within the cloud can span a large area. Therefore, complex lightning flashes could lead sensors to observe and measure different parts of the flash within the same storm. We aim to confirm that the Sandia radiometers fielded at Texas Tech University (TTU) and measurements from Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) correspond to the same events by analyzing the timing difference between radiometer and GLM and identifying the radiometer’s maximum distance of detection.