3.2
The DC Lightning Mapping Array
Paul Krehbiel, New Mexico Tech, Socorro, NM
During 2006, a 3-dimensional Lightning Mapping Array (LMA) was set up in the greater DC Metropolitan area as a joint project between NASA, NOAA, and New Mexico Tech. The initial array consists of 8 stations spread out over an area 70 x 100 km in extent and maps the total lightning activity over a 200-300 km diameter area around Washington, DC. Data from the network is ingested via internet connections into a central processing facility at NASA's National Space Science and Technology Center (NSSTC) in Huntsville, AL, where it is processed in real time and forwarded to the National Weather Service Headquarters and the Sterling Weather Forecast Office for use in warning and nowcasting operations. Current and archived lightning data can be seen at http://branch.nsstc.nasa.gov/PUBLIC/DCLMA/. Despite being operated in a radio frequency-noisy urban environment, the network produces high-quality observations of convectively intense storms over the core coverage area.
Session 3, Recent Advances in Lightning Technology and Transfer to Operations
Tuesday, 22 January 2008, 1:30 PM-3:00 PM, 222
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