Dorte Dissing and David L. Verbyla. 2003.
Spatial patterns of lightning strikes in interior
Alaska
and their relations to elevation and vegetation.
Canadian Journal of Forest Research.
33:770-782.
Abstract. The relationship between lightning
strike density, vegetation, and elevation was investigated at three
different spatial scales:
1) interior Alaska (>630,000 km2), 2) six longitudinal transects
(~100 000 km2) and 3) 17 physiographic regions (~50 000 km2) within
Alaska.
The data consisted of 14 years (1986-1999) of observations by the
Alaska Fire Service lightning strike detection network. The best
explanation
for the variation in lightning strike density was provided by a
combination of the aerial coverage of boreal forest and
elevation. Each of these
factors has the potential to influence the convective activity.
Our study suggests that in a region that is climatically favorable for
air-mass
thunderstorms, surface properties may enhance local lightning storm
development in the boreal forest. Lightning strikes were found to
occur
frequently both in mountainous and flood plain areas, which is contrary
to previous studies in Alaska.
Email: D.Verbyla@uaf.edu
Last updated: August 2003