For the organization of lightning protection measures, data on the nature of the distribution of lightning discharges, their number and current value over the territory are required. To this end, lightning direction finding systems are being developed and implemented in many countries around the world. Lightning direction finding technology significantly reduces the risk of lightning strikes, and also allows you to take into account thunderstorm activity in the design and placement of buildings and structures. It is aimed at minimizing serious disruptions in the power industry, mass accidents and damage to power lines, preventing the failure of sensitive electronics and communication networks, and so on, which, in turn, determines its high economic efficiency. This article discusses issues related to clustering and visual representation of long-term data on thunderstorm processes in the North Caucasus in 2009-2019. Information about lightning discharges was obtained on the basis OF ls8000 data from Vaisala using a network of lightning recorders at the geophysical situation monitoring center. The article presents a picture of the spatial and temporal distribution of thunderstorm clusters for the North Caucasus. This makes it possible to trace the dynamics of thunderstorm centers, the spatial position of thunderstorms, the characteristics of discharges per unit area and time, to determine the characteristic development trends, and to identify the main factors that affect the obtained characteristics of the spatial and temporal distributions of lightning activity.
The complex relationship of time and spatial variations of the electromagnetic field with physical and biogeochemical processes determines the interest of the atmospheric electricity monitoring as a special factor that is an integral characteristic of the state of the atmosphere. The growing of anthropogenic factors role in the formation of electric fields near the earth's surface leads to the need of continuous measurements of the atmospheric electric field and further analysis of the data obtained to identify global, regional and local mechanisms of the global electric circuit. The data of local atmospheric electric field measurements is investigated. The electric field was measured using EFM 550 network sensors installed in the region as part of a thunderstorm monitoring system. Along with the study of periodic (quasi-stationary) components of the atmospheric electric field, the interest of non-stationary processes in disturbed conditions under various meteorological phenomena is increased. Comprehensive monitoring fulfilled at the Nalchik city point for eight years, allowed to establish a number of characteristic features of the behavior of the atmospheric electric field in the surface layer. To analyze time series, the time series decomposition technique was used. The set of graphs obtained for the components of the series is compared with those obtained as a result of standard processing of observations.
The parameters of lightning discharges were estimated using long-term data of the automated system of lightning detection. It was shown that the dynamic monitoring of these parameters is an effective step towards solving the problem of lightning protection. Studies of electrical parameters of discharges in the atmosphere using the data of the geophysical monitoring system, including a network of automatic lightning sensors LS8000, comprise more than five million lightning discharges for the South of Russia territory during 2009-2017. The values of lightning discharges parameters obtained during the observation period make it possible to identify the main characteristics. The regularities of changes in the parameters characterizing the electrical activity of the atmosphere in different periods of time and in different climatic zones of the southern region of the Russian Federation were investigated. Modeling with use of the statistical dependences approximation built on the distribution data reveals the main factors affecting the distributions and makes it possible to carry out the territorial zoning according to the degree of emerging risks.
Interest in lightning research is primarily associated with the negative consequences of their direct impact, leading to fires, damage of power lines, failure of sensitive electronics and communication networks, etc. In order to prevent and protect against these consequences the detection of occurrence time and spatial position of thunderstorms, assessment of their danger degree and the direction of further development are very important. Data of lightning discharges distribution, their number and value of the current over the territory is required for lightning protection measures. Research of thunderstorm dynamics is required to understand the nature of thunderstorms. The monthly distributions of discharges were studied. This allowed to trace the trends of thunderstorms development and density of discharges per unit area. Technology of lightning sensing significantly decreases the risks of lightning damage and also takes into account the thunderstorm activity for the purpose of design and placement of buildings and structures. It is aimed at minimizing the serious violations in the power industry, mass accidents and damage to power lines, which, in turn, determines its high economic efficiency.
The damage caused by thunderstorms increases year by year - this is due to an increase in thunderstorm activity, as well as urbanization, the development of new territories and the expansion of the use of microelectronics and microprocessor technology. The increase in thunderstorm activity is also associated with climate change and solar activity growth, and predicts further growth. This means that comprehensive research and long-term monitoring of thunderstorms are needed, and the importance of systematic analysis of lightning activity data, search for protection measures and warnings about the development of hazardous thunderstorms is increasing. In this article the authors presents the report about on the analysis of the data of remote observations of the network of sensors of auto - radar-rangefinder LS 8000 on the territory of the North Caucasus for the period from 2009 to 2016.
The mechanisms of dangerous effects of lightning discharges are investigated in the paper. Analysis of electrical parameters of thunderstorm discharges in the atmosphere using the data of geophysical monitoring center of the High- Mountain Geophysical Institute (Nalchik, Russia), which includes a network of automatic lightning sensors LS8000 were fulfilled. The results of the ground discharges registration and the time of their increase received during its operation are analyzed. The authors determined the statistical distribution of the amplitude of the lightning current. It is found that the parameters of the discharges in different areas are varies in a great range and can change over time. The effective operation of lightning protection systems and the implementation of life safety measures in case of thunderstorms requires monitoring of the lightning discharge situation in each region.
In the context of rising the frequency of natural disasters and catastrophes humanity has to develop methods and tools to ensure safe living conditions. Effectiveness of preventive measures greatly depends on quality and lead time of the forecast of disastrous natural phenomena, which is based on the amount of knowledge about natural hazards, their causes, manifestations, and impact. To prevent them it is necessary to get complete and comprehensive information about the extent of spread and severity of natural processes that can act within a defined territory. For these purposes the High Mountain Geophysical Institute developed the automated workplace for mining, analysis and archiving of radar, satellite, lightning sensors information and terrestrial (automatic weather station) weather data. The combination and aggregation of data from different sources of meteorological data provides a more informativity of the system. Satellite data shows the global cloud region in visible and infrared ranges, but have an uncertainty in terms of weather events and large time interval between the two periods of measurements, which complicates the use of this information for very short range forecasts of weather phenomena. Radar and lightning sensors data provide the detection of weather phenomena and their localization on the background of the global pattern of cloudiness in the region and have a low period measurement of atmospheric phenomena (hail, thunderstorms, showers, squalls, tornadoes). The authors have developed the improved algorithms for recognition of dangerous weather phenomena, based on the complex analysis of incoming information using the mathematical apparatus of pattern recognition.
In the context of rising the frequency of natural disasters and catastrophes humanity has to develop methods and tools to ensure safe living conditions. Effectiveness of preventive measures greatly depends on quality and lead time of the forecast of disastrous natural phenomena, which is based on the amount of knowledge about natural hazards, their causes, manifestations, and impact. To prevent them it is necessary to get complete and comprehensive information about the extent of spread and severity of natural processes that can act within a defined territory. For these purposes the High Mountain Geophysical Institute developed the automated workplace for mining, analysis and archiving of radar, satellite, lightning sensors information and terrestrial (automatic weather station) weather data.
The combination and aggregation of data from different sources of meteorological data provides a more informativity of the system. Satellite data shows the global cloud region in visible and infrared ranges, but have an uncertainty in terms of weather events and large time interval between the two periods of measurements, which complicates the use of this information for very short range forecasts of weather phenomena. Radar and lightning sensors data provide the detection of weather phenomena and their localization on the background of the global pattern of cloudiness in the region and have a low period measurement of atmospheric phenomena (hail, thunderstorms, showers, squalls, tornadoes).
The authors have developed the improved algorithms for recognition of dangerous weather phenomena, based on the complex analysis of incoming information using the mathematical apparatus of pattern recognition.
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