• Oklahoma LMA Real Time Data

• Oklahoma LMA Animations

• North Alabama LMA (Link to NASA site)

• DC Demonstration LMA Web Page (Link to NASA site)

• DC Demonstration LMA Information

New Mexico Tech's Lightning Mapping Array (LMA) is a three-dimensional total lightning location system. The system is patterned after the LDAR (Lightning Detection and Ranging) system developed at NASA's Kennedy Space Center by Carl Lennon, Launa Maier and colleagues. The Lightning Mapping Array measures the time of arrival of 60 MHz RF radiation from a lightning discharge at multiple stations, and locates the sources of the radiation to produce a three-dimensional map of total lightning activity. The time-of-arrival technique for studying lightning was pioneered by Dave Proctor in South Africa. Here is an example of observations obtained in central Oklahoma during June, 1998 of a left-right splitting storm system that produced large hail and several tornados:

• Description of New Mexico Tech Lightning Mapping Array

• STEPS Observations

• Initial Results from the 1998 Oklahoma Lightning

• Additional results from both New Mexico and Oklahoma Studies

• Time Evolution of Tornadic Storm on 06/13/1998

• Lightning Mapping Network for STEPS

• Comparison with New Mexico network

• Comparison with Oklahoma network

• Radar Comparisons - New Mexico

• Alabama Network Information

• Publications
  • Rison, W., R.J. Thomas, P.R. Krehbiel, T. Hamlin, and J. Harlin, A GPS-based Three-Dimensional Lightning Mapping System: Initial Observations in Central New Mexico
    Geophysical Research Letters, 26, 3573-3576, 1999 [ Adobe PDF version (grl_nm.pdf - 400k)]
  • Krehbiel, P.R., R.J. Thomas, W. Rison, T. Hamlin, J. Harlin, and M. Davis, GPS-based mapping system reveals lightning inside storms,
    EOS, 81, 21-25, 2000 [ Adobe PDF version (eos.pdf - 200k)]
  • Thomas, R.J., P.R. Krehbiel, W. Rison, T. Hamlin, J. Harlin, and D. Shown, Observations of VHF Source Powers Radiated by Lightning
    Geophysical Research Letters, 28, 143-146 2001 [ gzipped PDF version: GRL_2001_VHF.pdf.gz (2.2M)] [ gzipped PS version: GRL_2001_VHF.ps.gz (1.1M)]
  • Krehbiel, P.R., T. Chen, S. McCrary, W. Rison, G. Gray, and M. Brook, The Use of Simultaneous Horizontal and Vertical Transmissions for Dual-Polarization Radar Meteorological Observations Journal of Atmospheric Technology, 18, 629-648, 2001.
  • Thomas, R.J., P.R. Krehbiel, W. Rison, S.J. Hunyady, W.P. Winn, T. Hamlin, J. Harlin, Accuracy of the Lightning Mapping Array J. Geophys. Res., 109, 34 pp., D14207, doi:10.1029/2004JD004549, 2004.
  • Lang, T.J., L.J. Miller, M. Weisman, S.A. Rutledge, L.J. Barker III, V.N. Bringi, V. Chandrasekar, A. Detwiler, N. Doesken, J. Helsdon, C. Knight, P. Krehbiel, W.A. Lyons, D. Macgorman, E. Rasmussen, W. Rison, W.D. Rust and R.J. Thomas. The Severe Thunderstorm Electrification and Precipitation Study. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 85, 1107-1125, 2004.
  • Rust, W.D., D.R. MacGorman, E.C. Bruning, S.A. Weiss, P.R.\ Krehbiel, R.J. Thomas, W. Rison, T. Hamlin, and J. Harlin, Inverted-Polarity Electrical Structures in Thunderstorms in the Severe Thunderstorm Electrification and Precipitation Study (STEPS), Atmospheric Research, 76, 247-271, 2005.
  • Marshall, T.C., M. Stolzenburg, C.R. Maggio, L.M. Coleman, P.R. Krehbiel, T. Hamlin, R.J. Thomas, and W. Rison, Observed Electric Fields Associated with Lightning Initiation, Geophysical Research Letters, 32, 5 pp., L03813, doi:10.1029/2004GL021802, 2005.
  • Behnke, S.A., R.J. Thomas, P.R. Krehbiel and W. Rison: Initial leader velocities during intracloud lightning: Possible evidence for a runaway breakdown effect, Journal of Geophysical Research, 110, D10207, doi:10.1029/2004JD005312, 2005.
  • Maggio, C., L. Coleman, T. Marshall, M. Stolzenburg, M. Stanley, T. Hamlin, P. Krehbiel, W. Rison and R. Thomas: Lightning Initiation Locations as a Remote Sensing Tool of Large Thunderstorm Electric Field Vectors", Journal of Atmospheric Technology, 22, 1059-1068, 2005.
  • MacGorman, D.R., W.D. Rust, P. Krehbiel, W. Rison, E. Bruning and K. Wiens, The electrical structure of two supercell storms during STEPS, Monthly Weather Review, 133, 2583–2607, 2005.
  • Riousset, J.A., V.P. Pasko, P.R. Krehbiel, R.J. Thomas and W. Rison, Three-dimensional fractal modeling of intracloud lightning discharge in a New Mexico thunderstorm and comparison with lightning mapping observations, J. Geophys. Res., 112, D15203, doi:10.1029/2006JD007621, 2007.
  • Thomas, R.J., P.R. Krehbiel, W. Rison, H.E. Edens, G.D. Aulich, W.P. Winn, S.R. McNutt, G. Tytgat and E. Clark, Electrical activity during the 2006 Mt. Augustine volcanic eruptions, Science, 315, 1097, DOI: 10.1126/science.1136091, 2007.
  • Krehbiel, P.R., J.A. Riousset, V.P. Pasko, R.J. THOMAS, W. Rison, M.A. Stanley and H.E. Edens, Upward electrical discharges from thunderstorms, Nature Geoscience, DOI: 10.1038/ngeo162, in press, 2008.