Mon. May 22, 2017 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM 304 (International Conference Hall 3F)

convener:Mitsuteru Sato(Department of Cosmoscience, Hokkaido University), Yoav Yair(Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya), Chairperson:Yukihiro Takahashi(Department of Cosmosciences, Graduate School of Science, Hokkaido University), Chairperson:Mitsuteru Sato(Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University)

Lightning and thunderstorm are markers of severe weather, often accompanied by precipitation, hail and strong winds that can create significant natural hazards, especially in disaster-prone area. Lightning is also a strong indicator of convection, with tropical storms (typhoons and hurricanes) being of major importance. As the climate warms in the first decades of the 21st century, the intensity and frequency of thunderstorms is projected to increase. The need for detecting and monitoring the development of thunderstorms and lightning on local and regional scales is therefore clear and urgent.

This session seeks theoretical and observational contributions on thunderstorm microphysics and dynamics, convective systems and tropical storms. Present patterns and distributions of lightning and extreme weather events, as well as forecasts of future trends, are also of interest. Lightning detecting and monitoring system performance and validation, and early-warning schemes are requested, either in operational or planning phase. The session will highlight regional and global lightning and atmospheric electricity networks and invites contributions on technological innovations in this field.