Lightning Mapper Sensor (LMS) The goal of the Lightning Mapper program is to place a sensor, capable of continuously mapping lightning discharges during both the day and night, with a spatial resolution of 10 km, in geostationary orbit. In a geostationary orbit, the Lightning Mapper Sensor will be capable of detecting and locating both cloud-to-ground and intra-cloud discharges with high spatial resolution and detection efficiency, i.e., detect and locate lightning with a storm-scale resolution over large areas of the Earth's surface. With such an instrument, scientists will be able to study the electrosphere over dimensions ranging from the Earth's radius all the way down to individual thunderstorms. A Lightning Mapper Sensor would be capable of detecting all types of lightning phenomena, and will provide near uniform spatial coverage. Disseminating this information in near real time, these measurements could be related on a continuous basis to other observables such as radar returns, cloud images and other meteorological variables to enhance the accuracy of weather nowcasting. The data will be used to determine flash rates, and storm motion and evolution. This will be correlated with information obtained from other sensor systems such as observations of precipitating electrons, VLF-ELF noise, and ULF waves in the ionosphere. The LMS will provide information which can only be obtained with a space based instrument. Because the data will be distributed in real time, weather forecasters will find it an invaluable tool for storm nowcasting as well as for the issuing of severe storm warnings.   Uses of a Lightning Mapper in Geostationary Orbit Severe storm detection and warning (lightning, flash floods, tornadoes, hailstorms, and downbursts). Convective rainfall estimation. Storm tracking. Aviation hazards (terminal and enroute use). Hazard warnings: Power companies, fuel depots, golf courses, etc. Algorithms for forest fire likelihood forecasting (uses location, frequency, and duration of flashes). Can be used as an indicator of cyclone development and evolution. Improvement of long-term forecasting by quantifying lightning activity for the time of day, season, location, and storm type. Improvement in the understanding of the physics of the Global Electric Circuit Increased understanding of lightning interactions with the magnetosphere and the ionosphere. NOx generation studies. Studies of whistler and other wave propagation phenomena. Magnetospheric-ionospheric research. Solar-tropospheric studies. The Future of Lightning Detection in Space Typically, more than 2,000 thunderstorms are active throughout the world at a given moment, producing on the order of 100 flashes per second. As our society becomes more dependent upon computers and information networks (as well as various other electronic devices), protection from system disruptions becomes essential. One such protection comes from increasing our understanding of thunderstorms and how and why they occur. The Lightning Mapper Sensor will assist in answering some of these questions. The knowledge from the studies described will strengthen the utility of NASA's Lightning Imaging Sensor and will add to the capability of a Lightning Mapper Sensor. Most importantly, it will help us to better understand the Earth's atmosphere. As a response to fundamental forcing, lightning contains far more information than just the electrical aspects of the atmosphere. It tells us where strong convection is occurring, when large quantities of water are growing in the mixed phase regions of storms, and suggests how latent heat is being released during the storm's life cycle. Since the microscales on which particles interact to generate electricity are coupled through storm scale processes to synoptic scale systems, lightning activity should provide information on the development of the atmosphere over many scale sizes. Hopefully, with further study, we will learn to estimate convective rainfall rates from lightning flash rates, to identify local temperature anomalies from changing weather patterns, and study developing weather systems by the evolution of lightning activity. Investigations will continue to focus on the relationships between global and regional lightning activity and rainfall, linking electrical development to the environments of surrounding storms. Field programs in the tropics will provide ground based data sets to be used in conjunction with radar, satellite, and lightning data, in order to develop and improve existing precipitation estimation algorithms, while providing a better understanding of the co-evolving electrical and dynamic structures of storms. By better understanding all of the processes that lead to lightning, we will better understand the atmosphere and improve our ability to become wise tenants of the Planet Earth.   Credits CREDITS: WRITTEN BY: Dr. Hugh J. Christian Senior Scientist Earth Science and Applications NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center, AL Melanie A. McCook Senior Research Project Coordinator Chemistry Department University of Alabama in Huntsville EDITED BY: Dr. George P. Miller Assistant Research Professor Chemistry Department University of Alabama in Huntsville Morgan W. McCook Consultant SPECIAL THANKS TO: The Staff of the NASA Library Wallops Flight Facility, VA Especially to Ms. Bobbi Eddy for additional editing and support PRODUCTION & LAYOUT: Melanie A. McCook REFORMATED FOR HTML: Paul J. Meyer NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center, AL   Lightning Safety The six most common dangerous activities associated with lightning strikes, in order, are: Work or play in open fields. Boating, fishing, and swimming. Working on heavy farm or road equipment. Playing golf. Talking on the telephone. Repairing or using electrical appliances. If caught in the open during a strike and the hair on your head or neck begins to stand on end (this really happens) go inside the nearest building. If no shelter is available, crouch down immediately in the lowest possible spot and roll up in a ball with feet on the ground. (DO NOT LIE DOWN. ) Treatment: Check breathing and pulse. TREAT APPARENTLY DEAD FIRST. Perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Apply cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

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