Numerical Simulation of the Influence of Aerosols on Electrical Processes in Convective Clouds during Wildfires

The work is devoted to the study of the effect of aerosols on various processes in the atmosphere, in particular, formation of convective clouds and their electrification. Special cases of thunderstorms in the Krasnoyarsk Territory during wildfires are considered. This region is characterized by the highest risk of an increase in the frequency of wildfires due to the climate change among Russian regions. The thunderstorm events were selected based on the analysis of lightning activity in the area under study from 2015 to 2022 in comparison with wildfire data. A series of numerical experiments on simulating thunderstorms in the WRF model with different aerosol concentrations in the atmosphere have been performed. Based on the simulation results, electrical parameters of clouds have been calculated. To find correlations between the density of lightning discharges and the parameters of convective systems we suggest methods for estimating lightning activity based on the volume of thunderstorm cells with a certain radar reflectivity and the area of high electrical potential. We have revealed an increase in the time of convection development as the aerosol load in the atmosphere increases, as well as a significant effect of aerosol concentration on electric potential maximum at near constant radar reflectivity maximum. The results can be used to develop fundamental ideas about the relationship between lightning activity and wildfires and to improve methods for predicting lightning activity.