Using Lightning Mapping Array to evaluate the lightning detection signatures at different technologies

Ten lightning detection networks measured lightning activity in the São Paulo area during CHUVA-GLM Vale do Paraíba field experiment in the months of December 2011-March 2012. This field experiment gathered different lightning systems from a broad range of electromagnetic frequencies (ELF to VHF and optical), corresponding to a great opportunity for understanding the different lightning detection technologies. Assuming that the Lightning Mapper Array (LMA) can capture the majority of electromagnetic irradieted sources through a lightning discharge (breakdown, step leader, return stroke and dart leaders), it is possible to correlate in space and time what each system is really measuring (i.e., are they measuring sferics, leaders, return strokes, sources or a complete lightning channel?). In a preliminary analysis, the total lightning systems were very comparble in time, i. e., they had coincident time measurements. For the VLF and LF systems that were designed to measure mainly cloud-to-ground discharges, we did find some difference, i.e., sometimes all networks reported lightning, but most of the time just one or two systems had lightning reports. It was observed that often there are temporal coincidences between LIS groups and the ground-based total lightning measurements. Moreover, the probability of LIS groups being detected by LMA increases as the lightning signals are observed at higher heihgts and it is also dependent on the amount of precipitation overhead of the flash.FAPESP -CHUVA Project 2009/15235-