Articles | Volume 18, issue 17
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-12797-2018
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-12797-2018
Research article
 | 
06 Sep 2018
Research article |  | 06 Sep 2018

The climate impact of aerosols on the lightning flash rate: is it detectable from long-term measurements?

Qianqian Wang, Zhanqing Li, Jianping Guo, Chuanfeng Zhao, and Maureen Cribb

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Cited articles

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Short summary
Based on 11-year data of lightning flashes, aerosol optical depth (AOD) and composion, and meteorological variables, we investigated the roles of aerosol and meteorological variables in lightning. Pronounced differences in lightning were found between clean and polluted conditions. Systematic changes of boomerang shape were found in lightning frequency with AOD, with a turning point around AOD = 0.3, beyond which lightning activity is saturated for smoke aerosols but always suppressed by dust.
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