Response of lightning, NO and O3 to climate anomaly in China

In order to understand the response of lightning activity to climate change, this paper analyzed the temporal and spatial distribution of Lightning, NO and O₃ in China and the response of them to climate change by using OTD/LIS and HALOE data combined with Multivariate ENSO Index (MEI). The results showed that lightning frequency increased overall during the El-Nino period. The high lightning density areas almost were agreement with high NO areas over the 10a. The correlation coefficients between them were 82%, 91%, 88% and 85% in four seasons, respectively. The volume mixing ratio of O₃ in upper troposphere was increased by several thousandth ppm compared with the annual average value during the El-Nino period. All of these results indicate that lightning can be regarded as a sensitive indictor of climate change.