Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2021

Keywords

continual radio frequency, multi-variable statistics, remote sensing, Sakurajima volcano, vent discharges, volcanic lightning

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL092323

Abstract

The origin of electrical activity accompanying volcanic ash plumes is an area of heightened interest in volcanology. However, it is unclear how intense an eruption needs to be to produce lightning flashes as opposed to “vent discharges,” which represent the smallest scale of electrical activity. This study targets 97 carefully monitored plumesJapan, from June 1 to 7, 2015. We use multiparametric measurements from sensors including a nine-station lightning mapping array and an infrared camera to characterize plume ascent. Findings demonstrate that the impulsive, high velocity plumes (>55 m/s) were most likely to create vent discharges, whereas lightning flashes occurred in plumes with high volume flux. We identified conditions where volcanic lightning occurred without detectable vent discharges, highlighting their independent source mechanisms. Our results imply that plume dynamics govern the charging for volcanic lightning, while the characteristics of the source explosion control vent discharges.

Rights Information

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Was this content written or created while at USF?

Yes

Citation / Publisher Attribution

Geophysical Research Letters, v. 48, issue 11, art. e2020GL092323

2020gl092323-sup-0001-supporting information si-s01.pdf (1566 kB)
Supporting Information S1

Share

COinS