The Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) on the International Space Station (ISS) detects lightning occurring in the Earth’s tropical and mid-latitude regions. The LIS provides datasets consisting of near-real time and non-quality controlled data as well as final quality controlled datasets that are manually reviewed. This data uncovers the variability and distribution of lightning and can be used for storm detection and lightning-atmosphere interaction studies.
This visualization shows the global distribution of lightning strikes between January 2017 and July 2023 using the final quality controlled science dataset. Each data point contains the latitude and longitude of the strike as well as the time it was detected by the LIS. A roving window of 10 days was used to visualize the seasonal patterns of lightning.
Visualizations by: Michala Garrison
For more information or to download this public domain video, go to svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5011