Identification of lightning with explosive eruption ash clouds of Kamchatka

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   The VLF direction finder, developed and constructed in IKIR FEB RAS,
   carries out continuous registration of atmospherics. This complex meets
   the requirements of the international World Wide Lightning Location
   Network WWLLN for receiving stations which allowed the Institute to
   participate in international investigations of lightning discharges and
   their relations with other phenomena. One of the directions of such
   investigations is identification of lightning discharges associated with
   volcano ash eruption. Remote detection of ash clouds is very important for
   aviation and can be a monitor for detection of explosive eruption
   beginning. On the basis of the current WWLLN: Global Volcanic Lightning
   Monitor - GVLM (http://wwlln.net/volcanoMonitor.html), identification of
   ash cloud lightning, caused by explosive eruption, is being carried out.
   The GVLM volcano data of all volcanoes of the globe, renewed every minute,
   form an alarm signal in the case of coincidence of lightning geographical
   coordinates with volcano coordinates. Comparison of direction finding and
   meteorological data has shown, that azimuthal distribution of lightning,
   obtained by VLF direction finder of IKIR FEB RAS, coincides quite well
   with the azimuthal distribution, calculated on the basis of WWLLN data.
   Application of direction finding methods gives an opportunity to detect
   the source more accurately applying anomalous behavior of radio radiation
   amplitude. Retrospective analysis of data archive of IKIR FEB RAS VLF
   direction finder over two-year period determined many cases of lightning
   location generated during Kamchatka volcano eruptions.