Latitude dependence of narrow bipolar pulse emissions

• Latitudinal trends in narrow bipolar pulses (NBPs) were examined.
• Narrow bipolar pulses increased as latitudes decreased towards the equator.
• Negative NBP emissions increased significantly as latitude decreased.
• Mixed-phase region elevations and thundercloud top heights likely influence the NBPs.
• The NBP emission rate may not be a useful measure for thunderstorm severity.

In this paper, we present a comparative study on the occurrence of narrow bipolar pulses (NBPs) and other forms of lightning flashes across various geographical areas ranging from northern regions to the tropics. As the latitude decreased from Uppsala, Sweden (59.8°N) to South Malaysia (1.5°N), the percentage of NBP emissions relative to the total number of lightning flashes increased significantly from 0.13% to 12%. Occurrences of positive NBPs were more common than negative NBPs at all observed latitudes. However, as latitudes decreased, the negative NBP emissions increased significantly from 20% (Uppsala, Sweden) to 45% (South Malaysia). Factors involving mixed-phase region elevations and vertical extents of thundercloud tops are invoked to explain the observed results. These factors are fundamentally latitude dependent. Our results suggest that the NBP emission rate is not a useful measure to monitor thunderstorm severity because regular tropical thunderstorms, where relatively high NBP emissions occur, lack suitable conditions to become severe (i.e., there is modest convective available potential energy and a lack of baroclinity in such regions). Observations of significantly high negative NBP occurrences together with very rare occurrences of positive cloud-to-ground flashes and isolated breakdown pulses in tropical thunderstorms are indicative of a stronger negative screening layer magnitude and weaker lower positive charge region magnitude than those in northern regions.