Measurement report: In situ observations of deep convection without lightning during the tropical cyclone Florence 2018

• Published in: Atmospheric chemistry and physics Vol. 21; no. 10; pp. 7933 - 7945
• Main Authors: Nussbaumer, Clara M, Tadic, Ivan, Dienhart, Dirk, Wang, Nijing, Edtbauer, Achim, Ernle, Lisa, Williams, Jonathan, Obersteiner, Florian, Gutiérrez-Álvarez, Isidoro, Harder, Hartwig, Lelieveld, Jos, Fischer, Horst
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Katlenburg-Lindau Copernicus GmbH 25-05-2021; Copernicus Publications
• Subjects: Africa; Aircraft; Atmospheric chemistry; Atmospheric composition; Carbon monoxide; Clouds; Color imagery; Colour; Convection; Cyclones; Dimethyl sulfide; Economics; Gases; High altitude; Hurricanes; Hydrogen; Hydrogen peroxide; Image enhancement; Image processing; Imagery; Infrared imagery; Iodides; Lightning; Lightning location; Measurement; Nitric oxide; Ocean temperature; Ozone; Plankton; Remote sensing; Research aircraft; Restaurants; Satellite imagery; Spaceborne remote sensing; Storms; Sulphides; Trace gases; Tropical climate; Tropical cyclones; Tropical depressions; Tropical storms; Wind; Africa; North Carolina; United States > US; West Africa
• ISSN: 1680-7324; 1680-7316; 1680-7324
• DOI: 10.5194/acp-21-7933-2021

Hurricane Florence was the sixth named storm in the Atlantic hurricane season 2018. It caused dozens of deaths and major economic damage. In this study, we present in situ observations of trace gases within tropical storm Florence on 2 September 2018, after it had developed a rotating nature, and of a tropical wave observed close to the African continent on 29 August 2018 as part of the research campaign CAFE Africa (Chemistry of the Atmosphere: Field Experiment in Africa) with HALO (High Altitude and LOng Range Research Aircraft). We show the impact of deep convection on atmospheric composition by measurements of the trace gases nitric oxide (NO), ozone (O3), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and methyl iodide (CH3I) and by the help of color-enhanced infrared satellite imagery taken by GOES-16. While both systems, i.e., the tropical wave and the tropical storm, are deeply convective, we only find evidence for lightning in the tropical wave using both in situ NO measurements and data from the World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN).