Characteristics Analysis of Multi-Area Lightning Strikes Based on Lightning Location System

Based on the monitoring data of lightning location system in multiple provinces of China in the past five years, this study uses kernel density estimation, three-dimensional terrain simulation and heat map analysis. The differences of the spatial distribution of multi-area lightning points, the number of return strokes and the amplitude of lightning current under the two conditions of considering the subsequent return strokes and only considering the main discharge are systematically compared. Five typical geographical areas (including the mixed city-water area, industrial belt, natural terrain, etc.) are selected, and the elevation and lightning strike data are integrated with the GIS. The statistical results show that when considering the subsequent return strokes, the core density shifted from the core area to the urbanization area, and the maximum nuclear density increased nearly twice as much as when considering only the main discharge. The areas with the highest number of return strokes are concentrated in the built-up areas rather than the highest altitudes. The maximum lightning current amplitude area is highly coincident with the hot area of return stroke times, the lightning current amplitude in industrial area is higher than that in natural area. This study contributes to the optimization of lightning protection engineering design and urban disaster prevention planning, and lays a theoretical support for the engineering application of high-precision lightning early warning system and high conductive materials.