Global Weather & Climate Center
  • Home
  • About
    • GWCC Is
    • Where in the World is GWCC?
    • Contact Us
  • Global Regions
    • Africa
    • Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea
    • Central and Eastern Pacific Ocean
    • Central and South America
    • Europe
    • North America
    • Indian Ocean and Asia
    • Polar Regions
    • South Pacific Ocean and Australia
    • Western Pacific Ocean
  • Weather
    • Applied Meteorology >
      • Air Quality
      • Aviation
      • Droughts
      • Fire Weather
      • Flooding
      • Geosciences
      • Global Environmental Topics
      • Weather Observations
    • Weather Education
    • Weather History
    • Weather Research
    • Weather Safety and Preparedness
    • Severe Weather
    • Social Sciences
    • Space Weather
    • Tropical Cyclones
    • Weather and Health
    • Winter Weather
  • Climate
  • GWCC Global Imagery Archive
  • GWCC Window to the World
    • GOES-16 Live Satellite Imagery Portal
    • GOES-16 ABI Channel Description and Examples
    • GOES-16 ABI Satellite Products
    • GOES-17 Live Satellite Imagery Portal
    • Himawari-8 Live Satellite Imagery Portal
    • Meteosat-11 Live Satellite Imagery Portal
  • Kids Corner
    • Kindergarten to 5th Grade
    • 6th to 12th grade
    • Fun Facts & Weather Trivia
    • GWCC Weather Radar Education
    • GWCC Wheel of Science

Weather Observations Topics

Electrifying Satellite Imagery of Gigantic Jet Lightning From GOES East (Photo Credit: NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service)

3/31/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
DISCUSSION: Earlier this month, it was discovered that the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) on the GOES-East satellite had captured some of the first satellite imagery of a phenomenon known as gigantic jet lightning.  But what exactly is gigantic jet lightning and how did the GLM “see” it?

Gigantic jets are a type of upper atmospheric lightning, also known as transient luminous events (TLEs).  While most TLEs lack many of the characteristics of the lightning we usually see in thunderstorms, gigantic jets are different in that they are connected to the electrical discharges that cause “typical” lightning. In a thunderstorm, a build-up of electrical charges within the cloud leads to the formation of lightning. While the exact mechanism behind this build up of charges is debatable, what is known is that when enough charge is built up, energy is released from the cloud in the form of lightning.  Normally we think of lightning as flashes within or between clouds, or as strikes between the cloud and the ground.  With gigantic jets, the electrical discharge exits from the top of the cloud into the ionosphere, reaching upwards of 50 miles into the atmosphere.

 Gigantic jets have been captured in videos and photography for years, but it was only recently that they have been captured on satellite imagery.  The GLM on the GOES-East satellite continuously maps and detects lightning over the Americas and surrounding oceans.  Lightning strikes and flashes emit light through the top of the cloud, which is detected by GLM and shown in satellite imagery.  Since gigantic jets are electrical discharges emitted through the tops of clouds, they too would be detected by the GLM.  Furthermore, they would show up even brighter and more intense on satellite imagery than typical lightning flashes, since what is being detected in this case is the electrical discharge itself rather than just the light from the flash emitted through the cloud.  Satellite imagery provided by the GLM can be used to help us further understand gigantic jets and other lightning phenomenon.

To learn more about other neat observational stories both directly and indirectly related to atmospheric science, be sure to click here!

©2018 Meteorologist Stephanie Edwards
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    December 2019
    October 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016


    RSS Feed

© 2022, Global Weather and Climate Center
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
​Webmaster - Stephen Piechowski
  • Home
  • About
    • GWCC Is
    • Where in the World is GWCC?
    • Contact Us
  • Global Regions
    • Africa
    • Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea
    • Central and Eastern Pacific Ocean
    • Central and South America
    • Europe
    • North America
    • Indian Ocean and Asia
    • Polar Regions
    • South Pacific Ocean and Australia
    • Western Pacific Ocean
  • Weather
    • Applied Meteorology >
      • Air Quality
      • Aviation
      • Droughts
      • Fire Weather
      • Flooding
      • Geosciences
      • Global Environmental Topics
      • Weather Observations
    • Weather Education
    • Weather History
    • Weather Research
    • Weather Safety and Preparedness
    • Severe Weather
    • Social Sciences
    • Space Weather
    • Tropical Cyclones
    • Weather and Health
    • Winter Weather
  • Climate
  • GWCC Global Imagery Archive
  • GWCC Window to the World
    • GOES-16 Live Satellite Imagery Portal
    • GOES-16 ABI Channel Description and Examples
    • GOES-16 ABI Satellite Products
    • GOES-17 Live Satellite Imagery Portal
    • Himawari-8 Live Satellite Imagery Portal
    • Meteosat-11 Live Satellite Imagery Portal
  • Kids Corner
    • Kindergarten to 5th Grade
    • 6th to 12th grade
    • Fun Facts & Weather Trivia
    • GWCC Weather Radar Education
    • GWCC Wheel of Science