Chart showing concurrent detection of streamer corona discharges from space and the ground
Concurrent detection of streamer corona discharges from space and the ground. The blue vertical dashed lines mark the temporal sequence of streamer corona blue flashes detected by the Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor (ASIM) on the International Space Station (ISS). The right axis marks the cumulative number of lightning flashes (orange dots) detected by ASIM. The left axis marks the cumulative number of cloud discharges classified by a ground-based lightning detection network (GLD360) as cloud-to-ground lightning strokes (red dots) and intra-cloud lightning strokes (green dots). The fourth blue flash initiates seven successive intra cloud lightning strokes. Credit: Soler et al. [2020], Figure 2
Source: Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres

The Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor (ASIM) on the International Space Station confirms for the first time that blue flashes at the 337 nm wavelength are associated with the very impulsive type of intracloud electrical discharge of the Narrow Bipolar Events, which are observed from both space and the ground. These blue flashes can occur continuously in the vicinity of ordinary lightning strokes therefore they can create a critical source of key greenhouse gases such as ozone (O3) and nitrous oxide (N2O) in convectively active areas. Soler et al. [2020] open the door for future studies to determine the global frequency rate and geographical distribution of in-cloud corona discharges, which is necessary to assess their role in the atmospheric greenhouse chemistry.

Citation: Soler, S., Pérez‐Invernón, F. J., Gordillo‐Vázquez, F. J., Luque, A., D., Li, Malagón‐Romero, A., et al. [2020]. Blue optical observations of narrow bipolar events by ASIM suggest corona streamer activity in thunderstorms. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 125, e2020JD032708. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JD032708

—Minghua Zhang, Editor in Chief, JGR: Atmospheres

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