Location of Negative Charge Associated with Continuing Current of Upward Lightning Flash in Winter

Abstract

Negative upward lightning flashes from a high structure in winter were observed by a current shunt and a network of VHF receivers, slow antennas and fast antennas on the coast of the Sea of Japan. VHF radiation sources associated with the lightning discharges were located three-dimensionally by the TOA method. Continuing currents of 6 upward lightning flashes were observed, and the position and the amount of associated charges in clouds were estimated from the data of the observation network. The measured charge amounts by the current shunt and the estimated neutralized charge amounts from electric field observation show good agreement.