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gamma ray emission from lightning in clouds
image of lightning
image of lightning

ALOFT

Airborne Lightning Observatory for FEGS and TGFs

The Airborne Lightning Observatory for FEGS and TGFs (ALOFT) was a field investigation between NASA and the University of Bergen. The main goals of ALOFT were to observe terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs) and gamma-ray glows in thunderstorms and to help validate observations from the International Space Station Lightning Imaging Sensor (ISS LIS) and the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM). 

ALOFT consisted of one deployment using a NASA ER-2 aircraft equipped with several instruments to collect measurements of lightning and radiation within thunderstorms. 

Note: DOIs for datasets will come as they are published.

Principal Investigator

Nikolai Østgaard, Timothy Lang

Partners

UIB

Data Centers

GHRC DAAC

Funding Programs

NASA Weather and Atmospheric Dynamics Program
Study DatesJuly 1, 2023 - July 30, 2023
Season of StudyBoreal summer
RegionFlorida, Gulf of Mexico, Central America, Caribbean Sea
Spatial Bounds

N: 32°N

S: 5°N

W: 105°W

E: 70°W

Focus AreasWeather
Geophysical Concepts

Atmospheric Electricity and Lightning

Mesoscale Convection and Severe Weather

Scientific TopicsLightning
Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Flashes
Gamma-Ray Glows
Thunderstorms
Thunderclouds
Electric Field
Electric Field Changes
Radiation
Atmospheric Electricity
PlatformInstrument(s)
Permanent Land Site

Very Low Frequency Receiver (VLF Receiver)

Lightning Mapping Array (LMA)

Electric Field Change Meter (EFCM)

Very High Frequency Interferometer (VHF Interferometer)

ER-2

Fly's Eye GLM Simulator (FEGS)

Cloud Radar System (CRS)

in Situ Thunderstorm Observer for Radiation Mechanism (iSTORM)

Lightning Instrument Package (LIP)

University of Bergen-Bismuth-Germanium-Oxide (UIB-BGO)

ER-2 X-band Doppler Radar (EXRAD)

Advanced Microwave Precipitation Radiometer (AMPR)

Conical Scanning Submillimeter-wave Imaging Radiometer (CoSSIR)

Electric Field Change Meter (EFCM)

The following resources provide additional resources about the ALOFT project.