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Content archived on 2024-04-30

European lightning nitrogen oxides project.

Objective



Objectives
The overall objective of the work proposed is to understand and quantify the contributions from NOx sources originating from lightning in thunderstorms to the composition of the atmosphere over Europe.
The general objective will be addressed by experimental and model studies both at regional scale (in Southern Germany) and at the scales of Western Europe (Ireland to Poland, Spain to Norway) determining the contributions of lightning from deep convective thunderstorms to the atmospheric nitrogen oxides concentration. On the regional scale the flashes and the storm conditions can be studied in great detail. The parameterisations worked out here will be applied to the larger, European scale.
On the regional scale, the field experiment proposed represents a combined effort for simultaneously measuring the
(i)detailed three dimensional structure of lightning,
(ii) the three-dimensional wind field as well as different hydrometeor species and
(iii) the NOx concentration in the anvils of the storms and its surroundings. Such detailed information on the position of flashes will enable an improved parameterisation of the NOx input from lightning.
On the European scale air-borne measurements of NOx will be compared to model simulations of NOx production and transport associated with mid-latitude thunderstorms. The detailed, local lightning information as well as a European scale detection of lightning events (also supported by radar and satellite information) will enable an improved representation of lightning produced NOx in the models. Such a comprehensive study is only possible by a joint European activity.
The outcome of the project will be an improved knowledge of the NOx sources from lightning especially to the mid and upper troposphere over Western Europe. This is of great relevance to the ozone chemistry of the troposphere and, thereby, also to climate change problems.

Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

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Call for proposal

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Funding Scheme

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CSC - Cost-sharing contracts

Coordinator

GERMAN AEROSPACE CENTRE
EU contribution
No data
Address
Muenchener Strasse 20, Oberpfaffernhofen
82234 WESSLING
Germany

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Total cost

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Participants (3)

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