SAETTA

The SAETTA network (Suivi de l’ActivitĂ© Electrique Tridimensionnelle Totale de l’Atmosphère—3D Total Electrical Activity Monitoring of the Atmosphere) was awarded the INE (Instrument National d’Excellence/National Instrument of Excellence) label in January 2020 by the CSOA (Commission SpĂ©cialisĂ©e OcĂ©an-Atmosphère/Ocean-Atmosphere Specialized Commission) of INSU. It receives financial support from INSU, CNES, and the Corsican Regional Authority to maintain its nominal operations.

The SAETTA instrument is a high spatial and temporal resolution 3D lightning imager. It consists of 12 LMA (Lightning Mapping Array) technology stations deployed in Corsica since summer 2014. Each station samples the electromagnetic radiation emitted by lightning in the VHF range (60–66 MHz). The localization of discharges is achieved using the time-of-arrival difference method, applied to observations collected by at least six stations. The SAETTA INE not only maps the movements of various discharges within a lightning flash but also documents the total electrical activity (intra-cloud and cloud-to-ground) within its coverage area (350 km around Corsica).

SAETTA data enable the characterization and tracking of convective systems, the study of atmospheric discharge physics, and their effects on the atmosphere, such as the production of nitrogen oxides (NOx) by lightning. The data also help improve our understanding of electrification processes within storms. Additionally, SAETTA provides the observations needed to validate operational lightning detection networks and space-based lightning detectors.

The instrument operates in two modes:

  • A real-time mode for monitoring applications,
  • A delayed-time mode with enhanced performance for scientific studies.

Real-time and delayed-time lightning activity data and maps provided by SAETTA are available at: https://saetta.aeris-data.fr/.

Documentation:

Contact at LAERO : Sylvain Coquillat

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