[M-IS27] Atmospheric electricity: Atmospheric electricity and climate change

[MIS27-05] Columnar sprite clusters observed above Hokuriku region in the winter of 2021

*Suzuki Tomoyuki¹, Masashi Kamogawa¹, Ting Wu², Daohong Wang², Koji Ito, Akira Aoshima³, Tsutomu Minami⁴ (1.University of Shizuoka, 2.Gifu University, 3.Iwata minami high school, 4.Kobe high school)

Keywords:Sprites (TLEs), lightning discharges, winter thunderstorm

A sprite is one of Transient luminous events (TLEs) and appears in the mesosphere between 40 and 100 km. Some winter columnar sprite events above Hokuriku region were observed from several different places in the winter time of 2021. The deployment of sprite elements lightning and parent thunderstorm were analyzed. The bottom of the sprites element body was analyzed with a triangulation method from several camera data. The sprite-producing lightning discharges were located with some lightning mapping system. The sprite parent thunderstorm structure was revealed by using radar echo data. The conclusions are as follows:
(1) Sprite elements were deployed almost circular and only a few elements located at the center of the circle.
(2) An average altitude of the body of sprite elements was 73 km.
(3) Sprite-producing positive cloud-to-ground strike (+CG) was located near the center of the sprite circle and the peak current amplitude of +CG was almost 10 kA.
(4) The sprite-producing +CG and cloud flash were distributed within 10 km.
(5) After the emission of sprite, a different cloud flash occurred and the brightness of some sprite elements increased.
(6) The sprite-producing lightning discharges occurred in the band-shaped thunderstorm 50 km in length, which consisted of small convective echo cells.
(7) The sprite-producing lightning discharges were developed in the band-shaped thunderstorm.