27 years of near-global lightning flash rate data are compiled from three NASA low Earth orbit sensors: the Optical Transient Detector (OTD), the TRMM Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS), and the ISS LIS. The dataset provides annual mean flash rates on a 0.1-degree grid, processed by the GHRC_DAAC with observations spanning from April 1995 to November 2023. It uses an updated compilation approach informed by post-mission data volume and sensor efficiency insights.
Use Cases
- Analyze spatial patterns of annual mean flash rate on a 0.1-degree grid to identify global lightning hotspots.
- Create custom climatologies by selecting specific years, months, or times of day from the 27-year record.
- Define composite regions for landmasses or bodies of water using the high-resolution grid for precise geographic analysis.
- Study long-term trends in lightning activity by comparing data from the OTD (1995-2000), TRMM LIS (1997-2015), and ISS LIS (2017-2023) sensor periods.
Strengths
- Data spans 27 calendar years, providing a long-term record for climatological analysis.
- Near-global spatial coverage on a high-resolution 0.1-degree grid.
- Combines observations from three distinct NASA satellite sensors for comprehensive temporal coverage.
Limitations
- Sensor detection efficiencies vary between the OTD, TRMM LIS, and ISS LIS instruments, which may introduce inconsistencies in the long-term record.
- The very high resolution (0.1°) product may be noisy for some applications, requiring compositing over larger spatial scales.
- Temporal coverage has gaps between the end of the TRMM LIS mission in 2015 and the start of the ISS LIS mission in 2017.
Provenance
- Source
- NASA lightning sensors: Optical Transient Detector (OTD), TRMM Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS), and ISS LIS.
- Collection Method
- Gridded climatology compiled from satellite observations, reprocessed with updated detection efficiency models.
- Time Range
- April 1995 to November 2023.
- Freshness
- Data collection concluded in November 2023; the dataset is a finalized climatology product.
- Geography
- Near-global distribution.