1. Topics Lightning and Climate Change Brief E&M review (Gauss’s Law)
lightning as a global thermometer
Brief E&M review (Gauss’s Law)
The DC global circuit, Carnegie curve, origin and behavior of the fair weather electric field
Thunderstorms
Charge structures
Charging theories, non-inductive (and inductive)
Involving mixed phase microphysics

2. Continued… Lightning mapping and detection Transient Luminous Events
Northeast Colorado Lightning Mapping Array
Geostationary Lightning Mapper; LIS on ISS
Transient Luminous Events
Sprites, elves, jets
The CAPE vs. aerosol debate for convective invigoration and lightning production
Lightning in tropical Lightning detection by radar

3. Continued… Lightning and severe storms; lightning jump algorithm
Lightning in relation to rainfall and other storm properties. Combining lightning and IR to improve convective rainfall estimation via geostationary satellite
We will use some of the recent AGU Franklin lectures to motivate some of our discussion section (Earle Williams; Lightning and Climate and Davis Sentmann; Transient Luminous Events)

4. Class procedure
Each student will give several in class presentations (review assigned papers).
We will follow a particular theme for 2-3 class periods
Grading based on in class presentations, participation in discussion and a final paper
Final paper—topic of your choice that was covered in class