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New map offers animated glimpse of world's annual lightning activity
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A map created by scientists at the National Space Science and Technology Center in Huntsville, Ala., is offering an animated glimpse of lightning activity worldwide, with each frame representing the average lightning activity on a single day of the year. This data, compiled from space-based optical sensors, reveal the uneven distribution of worldwide lightning strikes, with color variations indicating the average annual number of lightning flashes per square kilometer. The map includes data obtained from April 1995 to March 2000 from NASA's Optical Transient Detector; and from December 1997 to November 2000 from NASA's Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS). Both are satellite-based sensors that use high-speed cameras capable of detecting brief lightning flashes even under daytime conditions. Compiled by NASA scientists at the Global Hydrology and Climate Center at the National Space Science and Technology Center (NSSTC) in Huntsville, Ala., this information represents the first time these two instruments have been cross-calibrated to form a composite representation of global lightning patterns. The NSSTC operates through a partnership between NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville and six Alabama universities. (NASA Marshall/National Space Science and Technology Center)
Large 1205 x 586 (72)
Medium 720 x 350 (72)
Thumbnail 100 x 100 (72)Data from space-based optical sensors reveal the uneven distribution of worldwide lightning strikes, with color variations indicating the average annual number of lightning flashes per square kilometer. The map includes data obtained from April 1995 to March 2000 from NASA's Optical Transient Detector; and from December 1997 to November 2000 from NASA's Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS). Both are satellite-based sensors that use high-speed cameras capable of detecting brief lightning flashes even under daytime conditions. Compiled by NASA scientists at the Global Hydrology and Climate Center at the National Space Science and Technology Center (NSSTC) in Huntsville, Ala., this information represents the first time these two instruments have been cross-calibrated to form a composite representation of global lightning patterns. The NSSTC operates through a partnership between NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville and six Alabama universities. (NASA Marshall/National Space Science and Technology Center)
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