EOSDIS Data Sampler #3 - LIS Monthly Total Lightning Flashes Product

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TRMM Instrument Data:
TRMM LIS Global Total Lightning Flashes Product

Global Total Lightning Flashes
(January 6, 1998 - El Niño)

Global Total Lightning Flashes
(January 10, 1999 - La Niña)

(Note close correspondence in orbital times.)

Monthly Composite Comparison Images

**TRMM LIS Data Provided**
Data Product	Local Granule Names	File Name on This CD
LIS Daily Total Lightning Flashes Product (0.5° x 0.5°)	TRMM_LIS_SC.04.0_1998.006.hdf (El Niño) TRMM_LIS_SC.04.0_1999.010.hdf (La Niña)	(Link to Catalog) LIS_SC.04.0_1998.006.hdf.tar.Z (File must be "uncompressed" to be used.) (El Niño) LIS_SC.04.0_1999.010.hdf.tar.Z (File must be "uncompressed" to be used.) (La Niña)

Sample Information

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The TRMM Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) detects the distribution and variability of total lightning (cloud-to-cloud, intracloud, and cloud-to-ground lightning) that occurs in tropical regions. The orbit of the TRMM Observatory has an inclination of 35 degrees. As a result, the LIS instrument observes lightning activity where it occurs the most: between 35 degrees South latitude and 35 degrees North latitude. The TRMM orbit causes the local overpass time to drift over the entire 24 hours of a day approximately once each month, enabling observation of regional diurnal lighting flashes.

The provided products show directly the Daily "Total Lightning Flashes" that result from seasonal and either El Niño- or La Niña-influenced storm conditions. The samples included are from 2 days nearly a year apart, with nearly matching orbital times. The El Niño sample shows considerable lightning flash activity in Texas, but the La Niña sample shows considerable lightning flash activity in an arc from Yucatan over Cuba into the western North Atlantic. There are other variations in lightning flash activity over South America, Africa, and Australia.

A comparison of the winter of 1997-98 (weather conditions influenced by El Niño) with the winter of 1998-99 (La Niña conditions) shows changes in intensity and location of tropical or summer storms with lightning. In 1997-98, there were fewer lightning flashes in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific. At the same time, there were more in the westerly wind belts (e.g., north of Hawaii, in the Vermillion Sea, in the Atlantic between Gibralter and the United States, and in the western Pacific Ocean near China and Japan). In 1998-99, there were more lightning flashes east of Australia, and in the Intertropical Convergence Zone of the Pacific Ocean.

The lightning distribution daily granule for January 6, 1998, was created from the following hdf file(s). 

Granule Name                      Start time (UTC)    End Time (UTC)     Areas  Flashes  Groups  Events
TRMM_LIS_SC.04.0_1998.005.00617   1998-005T23:28:21Z  1998-006T01:01:08Z     4        5      86     791
TRMM_LIS_SC.04.0_1998.006.00618   1998-006T00:59:38Z  1998-006T02:32:25Z    34      398    4648   23338
TRMM_LIS_SC.04.0_1998.006.00619   1998-006T02:30:55Z  1998-006T04:03:48Z    47      770    7830   41202
TRMM_LIS_SC.04.0_1998.006.00620   1998-006T04:02:19Z  1998-006T05:35:05Z    38      277    3271   21102
TRMM_LIS_SC.04.0_1998.006.00621   1998-006T05:33:35Z  1998-006T07:06:21Z    54      274    3237   16807
TRMM_LIS_SC.04.0_1998.006.00622   1998-006T07:04:52Z  1998-006T08:37:45Z    45      221    3998   17018
TRMM_LIS_SC.04.0_1998.006.00623   1998-006T08:36:16Z  1998-006T10:09:02Z    18       84    1424    5699
TRMM_LIS_SC.04.0_1998.006.00624   1998-006T10:07:32Z  1998-006T11:40:18Z     4        6     145    1165
TRMM_LIS_SC.04.0_1998.006.00625   1998-006T11:38:49Z  1998-006T13:11:42Z    83      321    8878   44683
TRMM_LIS_SC.04.0_1998.006.00626   1998-006T13:10:12Z  1998-006T14:42:59Z   139      554    6330   39067
TRMM_LIS_SC.04.0_1998.006.00627   1998-006T14:41:29Z  1998-006T16:14:15Z    64      159    2104   12973
TRMM_LIS_SC.04.0_1998.006.00628   1998-006T16:12:46Z  1998-006T17:45:39Z    70      371    9917   43736
TRMM_LIS_SC.04.0_1998.006.00629   1998-006T17:44:09Z  1998-006T19:16:55Z   129      631    6074   29755
TRMM_LIS_SC.04.0_1998.006.00630   1998-006T19:15:26Z  1998-006T20:48:12Z   142      815    7537   38514
TRMM_LIS_SC.04.0_1998.006.00631   1998-006T20:46:43Z  1998-006T22:19:35Z    41      140    2627   17113
TRMM_LIS_SC.04.0_1998.006.00632   1998-006T22:18:06Z  1998-006T23:50:52Z    26       83    1189    7433
TRMM_LIS_SC.04.0_1998.006.00633   1998-006T23:49:23Z  1998-007T01:22:15Z     0        0       0       0


The lightning distribution daily granule for January 10, 1999, was created from the following hdf file(s). 

Granule Name                      Start time (UTC)    End Time (UTC)     Areas  Flashes  Groups  Events
TRMM_LIS_SC.04.0_1999.009.06436   1999-009T23:43:32Z  1999-010T01:16:18Z    11       75     727    3838
TRMM_LIS_SC.04.0_1999.010.06437   1999-010T01:14:49Z  1999-010T02:47:41Z    38      117    2047   11401
TRMM_LIS_SC.04.0_1999.010.06438   1999-010T02:46:12Z  1999-010T04:18:57Z    12       23     331    2695
TRMM_LIS_SC.04.0_1999.010.06439   1999-010T04:17:28Z  1999-010T05:50:13Z    22       62    1064    7673
TRMM_LIS_SC.04.0_1999.010.06440   1999-010T05:48:44Z  1999-010T07:21:36Z    36      114    1696    9794
TRMM_LIS_SC.04.0_1999.010.06441   1999-010T07:20:07Z  1999-010T08:52:52Z    43      152    2096    9272
TRMM_LIS_SC.04.0_1999.010.06442   1999-010T08:51:23Z  1999-010T10:24:15Z    13       47     404    2333
TRMM_LIS_SC.04.0_1999.010.06443   1999-010T10:22:46Z  1999-010T11:55:31Z    32      145    2293   10253
TRMM_LIS_SC.04.0_1999.010.06444   1999-010T11:54:02Z  1999-010T13:26:47Z    46      229    2282   10803
TRMM_LIS_SC.04.0_1999.010.06445   1999-010T13:25:18Z  1999-010T14:58:10Z   128      510    6114   30972
TRMM_LIS_SC.04.0_1999.010.06446   1999-010T14:56:41Z  1999-010T16:29:26Z    72      275    3647   19168
TRMM_LIS_SC.04.0_1999.010.06447   1999-010T16:27:57Z  1999-010T18:00:42Z    22      168    2918   15211
TRMM_LIS_SC.04.0_1999.010.06448   1999-010T17:59:13Z  1999-010T19:32:05Z    94      534    6280   26509
TRMM_LIS_SC.04.0_1999.010.06449   1999-010T19:30:36Z  1999-010T21:03:21Z    71      332    2854   11862
TRMM_LIS_SC.04.0_1999.010.06450   1999-010T21:01:52Z  1999-010T22:34:37Z     6       11     193     850
TRMM_LIS_SC.04.0_1999.010.06451   1999-010T22:33:14Z  1999-011T00:05:59Z    29       79    1286    7299

How To Order

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The user may view browse images for LIS daily granules at the Global Hydrology Resource Center (GHRC), which is part of the Global Hydrology and Climate Center (GHCC): http://thunder.msfc.nasa.gov/data/lisbrowse.html. The same location also links to pages that show annual, seasonal, and monthly composite images (generated from the daily granules)

L3 Daily LIS data may be ordered from the GHRC: http://ghrc.msfc.nasa.gov/shortcuts/sat_based_light_sensors1.html. The download directory will include the file(s) requested and copies of Users' Guide, Release Notes, software code and directions, and other usefull stuff

Single orbit LIS data may be ordered from the EDG, in a manner similar to the example given in the EDG Step-by-step Instructions. (Go to the Tools page.)

5-year Climatology datasets of both LIS and OTD lightning data may also be ordered from the EOS Data Gateway (EDG) search-and-order system at http://eos.nasa.gov/imswelcome

More general information on how to find and order Earth-observing instrument data is provided on this CD-ROM.

Local TRMM Links

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Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM)
NASA's TRMM instrument data products featured on this CD-ROM
Chart (GIF image) showing spectral bandwidth for each TRMM instrument
NASA's TRMM TMI MPE instrument data products featured on this CD-ROM
NASA's TRMM TMI SST instrument data products featured on this CD-ROM
NASA's TRMM VIRS instrument data products featured on this CD-ROM

Disclaimer: NASA offers these suggested sites for additional information regarding the TRMM LIS. Web access is required. Link existence and contents are not under the control of the EOSDIS Science Operations Office.

TRIMM LIS Web Sites

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Data in a Flash: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/DataFlash/
Lightning and Atmospheric Electricity Research at the GHCC: http://thunder.msfc.nasa.gov/

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