NH1.7/AS4.4

Lightning and its Atmospheric Effects (co-organized)
Convener: H. D. Betz  | Co-Conveners: Y. Yair , S. Soula , T. Neubert , M. Fullekrug 
Oral Programme
 / Wed, 22 Apr, 15:30–18:30  / Room 29
Poster Programme
 / Attendance Thu, 23 Apr, 17:30–19:00  / Halls X/Y

Lightning represents a natural hazard which, though less dangerous than flash floods, causes both a number of human victims every year and increasing damage to forests, buildings, power lines and other structures. This session is intended to treat "Lightning" and all its effects directly associated with lightning phenomena in a general and comprehensive way.

Lightning can be studied and analyzed under many points of view and each one is welcome in this session, which is open to all aspects of experimental and theoretical topics related to lightning and should bring together scientists working in the different fields, partly listed below.

Severe weather conditions are often related to lightning so that observation and nowcasting may be of interest. Understanding of the various processes during flash occurrence is still a matter of research, such as initiating effects, development and propagation of leaders, and electrical neutralization by means of relatively large currents in discharge channels. In this sense, contributions from research in atmospheric electricity regarding cloud physics and lightning, lightning physics, modelling of the electricity of storms, lightning and global circuit, and lightning in relation with middle atmospheric events are appreciated. Special phenomena such as triggered lightning, measurements at instrumented towers, sprite observations, lightning-related radioactivity and chemical effects in the atmosphere are to be covered. Lightning detection techniques using different methods, network engineering and statistical results will also be part of the session.