Revisiting Lightning Activity and Parameterization Using Geostationary Satellite Observations

The Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) on the Operational Environmental Satellite 16 (GOES-16) detects total lightning continuously, with a high spatial resolution and detection efficiency. Coincident data from GLM Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) are used to explore correlation between cloud top properties flash activity across continental United States (CONUS) sector May September 2020. A large number of collocated infrared (IR) brightness temperature (TBB), height (CTH) provides robust statistics. Overall, likelihood occurrence density is higher if TBB colder than 225 K. CTH observed be correlated larger rate, smaller size, stronger updraft, optical energy. Furthermore, updraft velocity (w) estimated based decreasing rate TBB, but it convective core. As result, relationship investigated independently w over continental, oceanic coastal regimes in tropics mid-latitudes. When 12 km, rates 38% those both lightning. In addition, should noted that more studies necessary examine why low clouds (CTH < 8 km) has land coast. Finally, exponents derived power four, which underestimated due efficiency difference IR 20 dBZ CTH. results combining ABI products suggest merging multiple satellite datasets could benefit parameterization studies, although parallax corrections considered.