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  • Conference proceedings
  • © 2006

"Sprites, Elves and Intense Lightning Discharges"

  • The first extended summary on recent sprite research
  • Sprites are arguably the most dramatic recent discovery in solar-terrestrial physics
  • Sprites are direct evidence of coupling from the lower atmosphere(troposphere) to the upper atmosphere (ionosphere)
  • Sprites are a hot topic of interdisciplinary research in atmospheric science and represent a rapidly evolving new research area
  • Summarises the present state of the art in sprite research with contributions from the world leading experts in their respective fields

Part of the book series: NATO Science Series II: Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry (NAII, volume 225)

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Table of contents (15 papers)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages I-XV
  2. GLOBAL THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY

    • Colin Price
    Pages 85-99
  3. IMAGING SYSTEMS IN TLE RESEARCH

    • Thomas H. Allin, T. Neubert, S. Laursen
    Pages 101-121
  4. SPACECRAFT BASED STUDIES OF TRANSIENT LUMINOUS EVENTS

    • Stephen B. Mende, Y. S. Chang, A. B. Chen, H. U. Frey, H. Fukunishi, S. P. Geller et al.
    Pages 123-149
  5. REMOTE SENSING OF THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE BY VLF

    • Craig J. Rodger, R. J. McCormick
    Pages 167-190
  6. LOCATION AND ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES OF SPRITE-PRODUCING LIGHTNING FROM A SINGLE ELF SITE

    • Yasuhide Hobara, M. Hayakawa, E. Williams, R. Boldi, E. Downes
    Pages 211-235
  7. THE ORETICAL MODELING OF SPRITES AND JETS

    • Victor P. Pasko
    Pages 253-311
  8. ON THE MODELING OF SPRITES AND SPRITEPRODUCING CLOUDS IN THE GLOBAL ELECTRIC CIRCUIT

    • Eugene A. Mareev, A. A. Evtushenko, S. A. Yashunin
    Pages 313-340
  9. ACTUAL PROBLEMS OF THUNDERCLOUD ELECTRODYNAMICS

    • Victor Y. Trakhtengerts, Dmitry I. Iudin
    Pages 341-376
  10. POSTER ABSTRACTS

    • T. Farges
    Pages 377-394
  11. Back Matter

    Pages 395-398

About this book

Particularly intense lightning discharges can produce transient luminous events above thunderclouds, termed sprites, elves and jets. These short lived optical emissions in the mesosphere can reach from the tops of thunderclouds up to the ionosphere; they provide direct evidence of coupling from the lower atmosphere to the upper atmosphere. Sprites are arguably the most dramatic recent discovery in solar-terrestrial physics. Shortly after the first ground based video recordings of sprites, observations on board the Space Shuttle detected sprites and elves occurring all around the world. These reports led to detailed sprite observations in North America, South America, Australia, Japan, and Europe. Subsequently, sprites were detected from other space platforms such as the International Space Station and the ROCSAT satellite. During the past 15 years, more than 200 contributions on sprites have been published in the scientific literature to document this rapidly evolving new research area.

Editors and Affiliations

  • Centre for Space Atmospheric and Oceanic Science, University of Bath, United Kingdom

    Martin Füllekrug

  • Institute of Applied Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Nizhny Novgorod, Russian Federation

    Eugene A. Mareev

  • CAESAR Consultancy, Cambridge, United Kingdom

    Michael J. Rycroft

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 259.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 329.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 329.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access