Climate, Vol. 4, Pages 28: Disposition of Lightning Activity Due to Pollution Load during Dissimilar Seasons as Observed from Satellite and Ground-Based Data

The precise role of air pollution on the climate and local weather has been an issue for quite a long time. Among the diverse issues, the effects of air pollution on lightning are of recent interest. Exploration over several years (2004 to 2011) has been made over Gangetic West Bengal of India using lightning flash data from TRMM-LIS (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission-Lightning Imaging Sensor), atmospheric pollutants, and rainfall data during pre-monsoon (April and May) and monsoon (June, July, August and September) seasons. Near-surface pollutants such as PM10 and SO2 have a good positive association with aerosol optical depth (AOD) for both the pre-monsoon and monsoon months. High atmospheric aerosol loading correlates well with pre-monsoon and monsoon lightning flashes. However, rainfall has a dissimilar effect on lightning flashes. Flash count is positively associated with pre-monsoon rainfall (r = 0.64), but the reverse relation (r = −0.4) is observed for monsoon rainfall. Apart from meteorological factors, wet deposition of atmospheric pollutant may be considered a crucial factor for decreased lightning flash count in monsoon. The variation in the monthly average tropospheric column amount of NO2, from the Tropospheric Emission Monitoring Internet Service (TEMIS), is synchronic with average lightning flash rate. It has a good linear association with flash count for both pre-monsoon and monsoon seasons. The effect of lightning on tropospheric NO2 production is evident from the monthly average variation in NO2 on lightning and non-lightning days.

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