Description:

Development of a holistic physical model for lightning is a grand challenge that relies on linking meteorological, chemical, plasma, optical, and radio physical process models across vast spatiotemporal scales ranging from molecular (sub-micrometer, sub-picosecond) to mesoscale (100s of kilometers, hours). A 60-person workshop held on 1-3 April 2024 in Albuquerque, NM reviewed existing approaches to modeling each of these physical sub-components, and discussed known capabilities, uncertainties and opportunities for improvement. The outcome of the workshop was a roadmap that will guide five years of initial integration efforts and science improvements, aimed at the first end-to-end physical model of lightning. The system is envisioned to be modular, and developed for wide community use by those interested in modeling lightning from the sub-flash to global scales. The purpose of this town hall is to describe the current roadmap to the atmospheric and space electricity, atmospheric science, meteorological, and broader earth science communities to solicit comment on the roadmap. We invite community participation in this grand challenge, and will describe how we envision components of the work to align with the missions and funding models of various government, academic, and industry stakeholders.