Satellite-Based Global Lightning and Severe Storm Monitoring Using VHF Receivers

摘要

This paper outlines an effort to develop and promote a concept definition for asatellite-based global lightning detection system called V-GLASS (VHF Global Lightning and Severe Storm monitor). The proposed system would bean outgrowth of an already-funded constellation of broadband VHF receivers (V-Sensors) to be flown on the Block IIF Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite constellation for the purpose of monitoring nuclear detonations for treaty verification. The use of an existing VHF sensor constellation would greatly reduce system cost and would allow the lightning detection community to capitalize on the specific benefits of VHF lightning detection, namely the transparency of clouds to VHF emissions and the ability to both geolocate and identify lightning types (cloud-to-ground versus intra-cloud) based on VHF power profiles. A conceptual system design is presented along with a discussion of expected system performance and capabilities.