NLDN and ENTLN Observations of Sprite-Producing Lightning

This study characterizes sprite-producing lightning strikes observed during the Physical Origins of Coupling to the Upper Atmosphere from Lightning (PhOCAL) 2014 field campaign. During June-August 2014, lightning experts coordinated video and high speed photography of transient luminous events (TLEs) over the U.S. Great Plains. Lightning flash and stroke data were gathered from the National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) and the Earth Networks Total Lightning Network (ENTLN) for the days on which sprites were photographed. These data sets were filtered by latitude, longitude, time, and peak current to locate the sprite-producing parent strikes. Parent strikes are investigated using both the NLDN and ENTLN, providing insights into the similarities and differences between these networks. Summary statistics are presented to characterize the large fraction of sprite parent strikes that were observed by both networks.