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Jacobson & Shao 2002
Jacobson, A.R. and Shao, X. (2002). On-orbit direction finding of lightning radio frequency emissions recorded by the FORTE satellite. Radio Science 37. doi: 10.1029/2001RS002510. issn: 0048-6604.

The recording of radio frequency signals from space potentially provides a means for global, near-real-time remote sensing of vigorous convective storms and a possible early warning system for convection-associated severe weather. In general, radio frequency signals arriving at a satellite with modest antenna gain do not directly reveal the ground location of those signals' source. We develop here a means of inferring the source location using repeated signal recordings from the same source storm, with the successive recordings taken along a significant segment of the satellite pass in view of the storm. The method is based on the ratio of received power on each of a pair of crossed dipole antennas. This method has a positional accuracy of 100--500 km. Moreover, the method has an intrinsic right-left (with respect to the subsatellite track) location ambiguity. A promising use of this technique in future applications will be as an aid in assigning lightning RF emission sources to meteorological features from other global remote-sensing products, for example satellite infrared imagery of clouds.

BACKGROUND DATA FILES

Abstract

Keywords
Electromagnetics, Instrumentation and techniques, Electromagnetics, Antenna arrays, Meteorology and Atmospheric Dynamics, Atmospheric electricity, Meteorology and Atmospheric Dynamics, Lightning
Journal
Radio Science
Publisher
American Geophysical Union
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