一次雹暴过程的闪电活动特征及其与雹暴结构的关系

利用闪电定位和双多普勒雷达资料,对华南一次产生冰雹和大风的雹暴过程的闪电活动及其与雹暴动力和微物理条件的对应关系进行分析和讨论。结果表明,此次过程中地闪活动在降雹阶段和降雹后阶段表现出明显差异:降雹阶段地闪频次增减交替,较为活跃;降雹后阶段地闪活动减弱后很快再次增强,地闪频次峰值（503个/6 min）远超过降雹阶段的峰值（268个/6 min）。在分析时段中,负地闪占主导地位,正地闪比例在降雹阶段呈上升趋势。地闪活动的强弱与60 dBZ强反射率的高度变化、70 dBZ回波的出现和消失有较好的相位对应关系。对应降雹阶段,雹暴内具有更强的上升气流和更高含量的冰相粒子。降雹阶段,强上升气流区以及降雹区内地闪活动较少,降雹结束后,原降雹区域的地闪活动明显增加。研究还发现,地闪更多地出现在弱上升、弱下沉气流以及二者交界区域附近。      

闪电放电特征和雷暴电荷结构研究

文章综述了近10年来对闪电物理过程和雷暴电荷结构等方面的主要研究进展。利用自行研制的高时间分辨率新型闪电探测和定位技术,获得中国不同地区的闪电特征及放电参数,组织首次青藏高原综合闪电观测实验,揭示高原雷暴及其闪电活动的特殊性,并利用数值模式探讨其成因;将原子结构理论应用于闪电光谱研究,并进行闪电光谱的实验观测和理论研究,获得可见光频段的闪电光谱记录;完善空中人工引发闪电技术,解决近距离严酷电磁环境条件下闪电的光、电信号测量技术,寻找闪电双向先导传输的光学和甚高频辐射证据,并利用人工引发闪电技术对防雷设施进行试验研究;另外,在闪电与天气、气候关系的研究方面也进行了初步探讨。     

不同地区雷暴电荷结构的模式计算

利用二维时变轴对称模式和实际探空资料 ,模式计算了南昌、兰州和昌都 3个地区雷暴云的电荷结构 ,并对形成机制进行了讨论。结果表明 :兰州地区雷暴的上升气流速度最大 ,雷暴发展最快 ;南昌地区雷暴次之 ;昌都地区雷暴最弱。南昌地区雷暴的持续时间最长。在雷暴的初始阶段 3个地区都存在雷暴下部次正电荷区 ,在雷暴的成熟阶段兰州地区在感应和非感应起电机制的共同作用下雷暴呈明显的 3极性电荷结构 ,南昌地区的雷暴主要在感应起电机制作用下形成偶极性电荷结构 ,而昌都地区的雷暴在非感应起电机制作用下形成偶极性电荷结构。 3个地区的雷暴负电荷区中心基本处于 - 1 0～ - 2 0℃的同一温度区内。中国北方地区的温度层结有利于形成 3极性电荷结构 ,且通过非感应起电机制来完成。     

放电后电荷重置对雷暴云电荷结构及闪电行为的影响

为探究放电后电荷重置对雷暴云电过程的影响,在已有的三维雷暴云起、放电模式中分别加入两种不同的电荷重置方案:一种是植入法即放电后闪电通道上的感应电荷与原空间电荷叠加(简称ZR方案);另一种是中和法即放电后直接按一定比例降低闪电通道处的空间电荷浓度(简称ZH方案)。利用长春一次探空个例进行敏感性试验,发现放电后重置方式的不同会导致闪电特征存在明显差异:1)ZR方案下的云闪发生率比ZH方案下的云闪发生率少。闪电放电后ZR方案在云中植入异极性电荷,对雷暴云中电荷的中和量比ZH方案多,摧毁云中电场的能力更强;2)ZR方案下的正、负地闪发生率均比ZH方案多。相对于ZH方案,ZR方案中主正电荷区的分布范围大于主负电荷区,导致其出现了更多的正地闪;ZR方案中的云顶屏蔽层与主正电荷区的混合程度高,混合时间长,导致ZR方案在主正电荷区与主负电荷区之间触发了更多的负地闪;3)ZR方案下的闪电通道长度比ZH方案下的闪电通道长度短。ZR方案在云中植入异极性电荷,导致云中难以形成大范围同极性电荷堆,闪电通道传播局限在一对较小的异极性电荷堆内,而ZH方案不改变云中电荷分布,存在大范围同极性电荷堆,闪电通道传播范围较大。     

非感应起电参数化方案的对比性研究

为进一步研究不同的非感应起电机制对模拟云内电场的可适用性,把3种不同的非感应起电参数化方案引入三维强风暴动力和电耦合数值模式,以2005年6月10日发生在长春的一次雹暴过程为例,模拟分析第一次闪电发生前云内电场的发展情况。结果表明,电荷的产生始于过冷水含量中心,并随着过冷水含量中心的向上发展而上移;在-20～-30 ℃层存在一电荷的累积区,雷达回波跃增出现后的10 min左右,电场迅速增长,且在4～8 min内由不足50 kV·m-1增长到110 kV·m-1以上。采用方案一形成的主电荷区为偶极性结构,而采用方案二和方案三形成的为比较常见的三极性结构。对比其他地区的观测资料及模拟结果,表明相同的云体宏微观条件下,不同方案中极性反转温度的不同对云内中低层电荷的分布存在较大的影响。考虑低层正电荷区的发展及冰相粒子与过冷水含量的配置关系,取极性反转温度为-10～-20 ℃,方案二的模拟结果与实际较一致。     

气溶胶对雷暴云起电以及闪电发生率影响的数值模拟

本文利用二维耦合气溶胶模块的雷暴云起电模式,结合一次南京雷暴个例,进行250 m分辨率雷暴云起电模拟实验,探讨了气溶胶浓度对雷暴云空间电荷分布以及闪电发生率的影响。在这个气溶胶模块中,假定一个三模态的气溶胶对数分布,考虑了气溶胶活化过程。结果显示:(1)随着气溶胶浓度增大,雷暴云电荷结构保持为三极型。(2)当气溶胶浓度从50 cm-3增加至1000 cm-3时,水成物粒子浓度上升,雷暴云电荷量和闪电发生率增加明显。(3)气溶胶浓度在1000~3000 cm-3范围时,云水竞争限制了冰晶的增长,导致雷暴云上部主正电荷堆电荷量降低。云滴和霰粒子浓度缓慢上升促进中部主负电荷堆和底部次正电荷堆电荷量继续增大。闪电发生率保持稳定。(4)当气溶胶浓度大于3000 cm-3时,水成物粒子浓度稳定,云内的电荷量以及闪电发生率保持为一定量级。     

通道感应电荷对放电活动特征的影响

为探究闪电放电后电荷重置方案中异极性电荷植入法对雷暴云放电效应的影响,利用已有的三维雷暴云起放电模式,结合2011年8月12日发生在南京地区一次典型的雷暴个例,通过控制倍数改变闪电通道感应电荷量进行大量敏感性试验。模拟结果表明:闪电通道感应电荷量对空间电荷结构分布和云闪通道长度有明显影响。通道感应电荷量增加,即空间异极性电荷堆增多,加大空间电荷结构复杂程度;云闪通道在发展过程中难以穿越与自身极性相同的电荷堆,导致短通道云闪频次增加。通道感应电荷累积总量相同,不同闪电通道感应电荷量下云闪频次与通道电荷平均累积量呈负相关,即通道感应电荷平均累积量增大,云闪频次减少。而地闪频次、类型与通道感应电荷量相关性不明显。     

积云模式下三维闪电分形结构的数值模拟

为了提高积云模式对雷暴云内电过程的模拟能力,将Mansell提出的放电参数化方案在起始击穿阈值和闪电通道感应电荷的分配过程上进行改进,耦合了已有的三维强风暴动力—电耦合模式中。对STEPS(Severe Thunderstorm Electrification and Precipitation Study)试验中一次雷暴个例以及对中纬度地区理想雷暴个例的模拟表明,引入了新放电参数化方案的模式模拟出闪电在发展特性和几何结构上和观测结果有较好的一致性。模拟结果还表明:闪电的类型与极性取决于背景电荷结构以及闪电的起始位置,只有底部存在正电荷堆时才会产生负地闪,且负地闪的起始点均具有较高的负电势。闪电通道上感应电荷的沉降会改变通道附近水成物粒子上携带的电荷,这对雷暴云内复杂电荷结构的形成有重要作用。经统计,模拟的地闪和云闪通道的分形维数平均值分别为1.47和1.69。对起始击穿阈值的敏感性试验表明,随着起始击穿阈值的增大,首次闪电时间会向后推迟,当采用逃逸击穿时首次闪电产生的时间最早;闪电数量随起始击穿阈值的增大而减少;当使用固定击穿阈值(100,150和200 k V)时得到的云地闪比均小于使用逃逸击穿时得到的云地闪比,使用逃逸击穿时得到的云地闪比与观测结果最为接近。     

台风莫拉菲(2009)登陆前后电荷结构演变的模拟研究

利用中尺度起电放电模式以及卫星和闪电定位等观测资料,对比分析了台风莫拉菲（2009）在登陆前后以及衰亡阶段的电荷结构及形成。结果表明：莫拉菲在登陆前存在近海加强过程,加强中逐渐形成清晰的台风眼并伴随眼壁区闪电活动的多发。眼壁区对流在近海加强阶段呈现正的三极性电荷结构,主负电荷区位于-25℃——10℃层,其上下各有一个正电荷区。而在台风达到最大强度后呈现负的偶极性电荷结构,仅存在云中部的负电荷区和下部的正电荷区。眼壁区对流的电荷结构同台风强度变化密切相关而不受登陆直接影响。在台风发展的不同阶段,外螺旋雨带对流主要表现为正的三极性或正的偶极性电荷结构,之前的研究一般认为外雨带对流只能呈现正的偶极性电结构。外雨带三极性电结构的形成可以类似于眼壁区三极性结构的形成,也存在其他形成机制,即在霰粒子与冰晶组成的正偶极性电荷结构下存在一个由雹粒子组成的正电荷区,从而形成正的三极性电荷结构。台风衰亡阶段对流主要表现负的偶极性电荷结构,对流活动较弱,类似于陆地雷暴消散阶段的特性。不同类型的电荷结构所对应对流的相对强度也在文内进行了讨论。     

强风暴中反极性电荷结构研究进展

反极性电荷结构是强风暴系统中一种常见的电荷结构配置,它是强风暴中正地闪大量发生的重要原因之一,同时也往往与灾害性天气相联系。人们对云内电荷结构的认识随电场探空、多种地面观测手段的发展而深入。反极性电荷结构并非在强风暴的起始阶段就出现,而存在一个演变过程,出现在风暴发展的特定阶段。宽广强烈的上升气流被认为在反极性电荷结构的形成中起关键作用,它使得上升气流区液态水含量等微物理条件发生改变,进而影响大小粒子碰撞的起电过程,使风暴内主要起电区霰粒子荷正电,冰晶等粒子荷负电,从而形成反极性电荷结构。强风暴中气流的动力输送、风切变等也被认为是反极性电荷结构形成的可能原因。利用数值模式,在真实的气象背景场下再现强风暴的反极性电荷结构演变特征和闪电活动特征,也是研究反极性结构形成的有效途径之一。针对正地闪大量发生的强风暴开展大规模外场观测试验,并将观测结果与数值模拟相结合,将有利于理解强风暴中反极性电荷结构的形成及其与闪电活动特征的关系。     

Total Lightning Characteristics and Electric Structure Evolution in a Hailstorm

In this paper, total lightning data observed by SAFIR3000 3-D Lightning Locating System combined to radar data to analyze characteristics of lightning activity and electric structure of a hailstorm that occurred in Beijing on 31 May 2005.The results indicated that there were two active periods for the lightning activity during the hailstorm process. The hail shooting was found in the first period. After the end of the hail shooting,lightning frequency decreased suddenly. However, more active lightning activities occurred in the second period with lots of them appearing in the cloud anvil region. The peak of the lightning frequency came about 5 min prior to the hail shooting. Only 6.16\% of the total lightning was cloud-to-ground (CG)lightning, among which 20\% had positive polarity. This percentage was higher than that in normal thunderstorms. In addition, heavier positive CG lightning discharge occurred before rather than after the hail shooting. In the stage of the hail shooting, the electric structure of the hailstorm was inverted, with the main negative charge region located around the -40℃ level and the main positive charge region around the -15℃ level. In addition, a weak negative charge region existed below the positive charge region transitorily. After the hail shooting, the electric structure underwent fast and persistent adjustments and became a normal tripole and lower levers with positive charge in the upper levels and negative charge in the middle level. However, the electric structure was tilted under the influence of the westly wind in the middle and upper levels. The lightning activity and electric structure were closely related to the dynamic and microphysical processes of the hailstorm. It was believed that severe storms with stronger updrafts were more conducive to an inverted tripolar electric structure than normal thunderstorms,and the inverted distribution could then facilitate more positive CG lightning in the severe storms.     

Study of the total lightning activity in a hailstorm

A thunderstorm that developed over northeastern Spain on 16 June 2006 is analyzed. This severe thunderstorm produced hailstones as large as 40 mm and had a lifetime of 3 h and 30 min. Radar cross-sections show strong vertical development with cloud echo tops reaching an altitude of 13 km. The specific characteristics of the lightning activity of this storm were: (i) a large amount (81%) of negative cloud-to-ground (−CG) flashes with very low peak currents (< 10 kA in absolute value), (ii) a very large proportion of intra-cloud (IC) flashes with an IC/CG ratio reaching about 400, (iii) a large number of “short” IC flashes (with only 1-VHF source according to SAFIR detection), (iv) a large increase of the −CG flash rate and of the CG proportion near the end of the storm. The rate of −CG flashes with a low peak current were observed to evolve similarly to the rates of IC flashes. Most of them have been assumed to be IC flashes misclassified by the Spanish Lightning Detection Network (SLDN). They have been filtered as it is usually done for misclassified +CG flashes. After this filtering, CG flash rates remained very low (< 1 min^− 1) with +CG flashes sometimes dominant. All the particular lightning activity characteristics similar to those observed in the Severe Thunderstorm Electrification and Precipitation Study (STEPS) campaigns support the hypothesis that this thunderstorm could have had an inverted-polarity or complex charge structure. The maximum IC flash rate (67 min^− 1) peaked 24 min before the presence of reflectivity higher than 60 dBZ. The IC activity abruptly decreased during the period when reflectivity was dramatically increasing. The time of maximum reflectivity observed by radar was consistent with the times of reported hail at the ground.     

闪电气象学研究进展

闪电气象学是随着现代闪电探测和定位技术的发展与应用而不断发展起来的一个学科,也是大气电学和气象学的重要交叉学科分支。综述了近年来中国在闪电气象学方面的发展和研究进展,主要从5个方面进行阐述和回顾：在闪电气象学研究中发挥了重要作用的现代闪电探测和定位技术,不同类型强对流天气系统的闪电活动特征,闪电活动与雷暴的动力、微物理结构的关系,雷暴电荷结构探测和数值模拟,以及闪电资料同化方法及其在强对流天气中的预警预报作用和闪电的预报等,并指出了中国闪电气象学今后的努力方向。     

北京一次大雹天气过程的闪电活动特征分析

由于受闪电监测系统限制,已有研究多局限于强对流天气的地闪(cloud-to-ground lightning,CG)活动特征。本文利用VLF/LF三维闪电监测定位资料,结合雷达观测等资料对北京地区一次典型大雹天气过程的全闪活动特征进行了分析。结果表明:降雹发生前,闪电活动主要分布在对流系统的后部,闪电数较少,且以负地闪活动为主;降雹期间,闪电频数显著增加,云闪(intracloud lightning,IC)及正地闪活动明显加强,该阶段闪电活动主要集中在对流系统强回波中心及其前部雷达反射率因子梯度较大的区域;降雹结束之后,强回波中心基本移出北京,北京范围内的闪电频数明显减少。正闪比例在降雹发生前逐渐增大,在降雹期间稳定维持在较大值,降雹结束后迅速减小;云闪比(云闪频数/总闪频数)表现为降雹发生前和降雹结束后逐渐增大趋势,在降雹期间基本维持稳定少变。闪电的电流强度主要集中在5—50 kA之间,20 kA以下的低雷电流强度的云闪和地闪多发生在降雹期间及降雹结束后,而20 kA以上的高雷电流强度的云闪和地闪在降雹发生前占有很大比例,小于5 kA的云闪在大雹发生期间所占比例明显高于地闪。降雹发生前及降雹结束后云闪发生高度在2-6 km,降雹期间有所抬升,约为2-8km。闪电频数峰值超前于降水峰值5-20 min。     

山东地区闪电密度时空分布特征

利用山东地区2006年6月至2007年10月13站的闪电资料,分析了该地区闪电密度的时空分布特征。结果表明:13站相比5站布局,获取的闪电样本更多,代表性更好,探测精度更高,分析结果存在差异;闪电密度高值区域出现一定的南移,在半岛内陆地区和东部荣成市出现了新的高值区域,负闪所占比例增加,占99.06%,平均闪电强度增大,负闪平均强度11.47 kA明显低于正闪平均强度25.04 kA;正、负闪电频次年、日变化均呈双峰值特征,但不同时间、不同区域之间存在差异;闪电强度季节变化呈单峰谷形式,但各区域峰谷时间有差异,且冬季没有正闪电发生。     

Analysis of microsecond- and submicrosecond-scale electric field pulses produced by cloud and ground lightning discharges

We examined microsecond- and submicrosecond-scale pulses in electric field records of cloud and cloud-to-ground lightning discharges acquired in summer 2006, in Gainesville, Florida. A total of 12 cloud and 12 ground flashes were analyzed in detail, with the electric field record length being 96 or 200 ms and sampling interval being 4 or 10 ns. The majority of pulses in both cloud and ground discharges analyzed in this study were associated with the initial breakdown process and were relatively small in amplitude and duration. The typical durations were an order of magnitude smaller than tens of microseconds characteristic of “classical” preliminary breakdown pulses. We estimated that 26% of the pulses in the 12 cloud discharges and 22% of the pulses in the 12 cloud-to-ground discharges had total durations less that 1 µs.     

Simultaneous optical and electrical observations on the initial processes of altitude-triggered negative lightning

Using a high-speed camera system and two electric field antenna systems, we have documented the initial processes of an altitude-triggered negative lightning (ATNL). The optical records clearly show that ATNL begins with the inception and propagation of an upward positive leader (UPL) and then a simultaneous propagation of UPL and downward negative leader (DNL), known as the bidirectional leader process, follows. Based on the optical records, it is inferred that (1) the triggering height is about 371 m; (2) the two-dimensional (2D) propagation speed of the UPL in its inception phase is about 3.8–5.5 × 10⁴ m s^− 1 during its propagation from about 393 to 452 m above the ground; (3) the grey levels of the DNL are about one order of magnitude higher than that of the UPL in their inception phase; (4) a discharge phenomenon propagating along the elevated triggering wire part of the lightning channel occurs after the mini-return stroke (MRS), with a 2D propagation speed of about 1.6–2.0 × 10⁵ m s^− 1. Combined with the simultaneous electric field change records, it is further inferred that (1) the UPL incepts about 932 μs earlier than the unstable DNL and about 4.1 ms earlier than the stable DNL; (2) the unstable DNL propagates downward intermittently three times with a time interval of about 1 ms, and each propagation contains a different number of steps with an average step length of about 7 m; (3) the stable DNL incepts at the tip of the unstable one, with a 2D propagation speed of about 1.9 × 10⁵ m s^− 1, an average step length of about 3 m, and a stepping time interval varying from 6 to 31 µs with a mean value of 15 µs.     

Triggered-lightning properties inferred from measured currents and very close electric fields

Triggered-lightning properties, including dart-leader charge density, return-stroke propagation speed, dart-leader electric potential, dart-leader propagation speed, and dart-leader current, inferred from return-stroke current and very close electric field measurements, are presented. Although most of the estimates are based on relatively crude models, they are all generally in good agreement with independent measurements and/or theoretical considerations found in the literature. The results are likely to be applicable to subsequent strokes in natural lightning.     

Lifetime of the thunderstorm electric energy in the global atmospheric circuit and thunderstorm energy characteristics

The lifetime of electric energy in the atmosphere is introduced and investigated as is the total electric energy of the atmosphere related to the total mean rate of electric energy dissipation. This lifetime, as determined from general estimations and convenient analytical expressions, turns out to be very small – from about 10 to about 100 s, depending on the assumptions on the control parameters of principal sources in the global electric circuit. In particular the energy lifetime is less than the relaxation time of the “global condenser” and field relaxation time near the ground surface. It is explained by the high dissipative rate of the electric energy in the atmosphere, taking into account that the regions mainly contributing to the total energy and its dissipative rate are connected to the altitudes of active parts of electrified (thunderstorm) clouds in the atmosphere with exponentially increasing conductivity.