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Quantification of the troposphere-to-ionosphere charge transfer in a gigantic jet

Nature Geoscience volume 2, pages 617–620 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

Gigantic jets are the clearest manifestation of direct electrical coupling between tropospheric thunderstorms and the ionosphere. They are leaders1,2,3 that emerge from electrical breakdown near the top of thunderstorms4 and extend all the way to the lower edge of the ionosphere near 90 km altitude5. By contrast, blue jets6 and other related events7,8 terminate at much lower altitudes. Gigantic jets have been observed from the ground5,9,10 and from orbit11. Some seem to be consistent with an upward-propagating negative discharge of 1,000 to 2,000 C km total charge moment change 9, but others have not been connected to distinguishable electromagnetic signatures10. Here we report simultaneous low-light video images and low-frequency magnetic field measurements of a gigantic jet that demonstrate the presence and dynamics of a substantial electric charge transfer between the troposphere and the ionosphere. The signatures presented here confirm the negative polarity of gigantic jets4 and constrain the lightning processes associated with them. The observed total charge transfer from the thunderstorm to the ionosphere is 144 C for the assumed channel length of 75 km, which is comparable to the charge transfer in strong cloud-to-ground lightning strokes.

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Figure 1: Overview of the gigantic jet.
Figure 2: VLF and ULF azimuthal magnetic fields produced by the gigantic jet.
Figure 3: Time-aligned video fields and the source waveform of the gigantic jet.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Physical and Dynamic Meteorology and Aeronomy Programs of the National Science Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA

    Steven A. Cummer, Jingbo Li, Feng Han, Gaopeng Lu & Nicolas Jaugey

  2. FMA Research, Inc., Yucca Ridge Field Station, Fort Collins, Colorado 80524, USA

    Walter A. Lyons & Thomas E. Nelson

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  1. Steven A. Cummer
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  2. Jingbo Li
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  7. Thomas E. Nelson
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Contributions

S.A.C. drafted the manuscript and supervised the project. J.L. analysed the gigantic jet images. S.A.C., J.L., F.H. and G.L. analysed the electromagnetic signals. N.J. developed and operated the field instruments. W.A.L. and T.E.N. analysed the radar reflectivity and infrared images. All authors contributed to the discussion of the results and the preparation of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Steven A. Cummer.

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Cummer, S., Li, J., Han, F. et al. Quantification of the troposphere-to-ionosphere charge transfer in a gigantic jet. Nature Geosci 2, 617–620 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo607

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