Real-time monitoring of global lightning activity

Because the SR signal is available continuously and integrates the activity of the entire planet, the Schumann resonance is suitable as a cheap, globally integrating lightning-activity sensor in real time. A single well-placed station — or a small network (#79) — can track the pulse of global storms continuously, without the need to build a dense network of ground detectors or satellites.

From the measured SR parameters one can derive the total global lightning activity Heckman 1998 and quantify its daily changes Bozoki 2023. These data have a dual use: on the one hand for climate — global lightning activity is closely related to the temperature of the tropical troposphere and the SR functions as a "global tropical thermometer" (cluster G) Williams 1992 — and on the other hand for space weather, where monitoring the modal parameters helps to detect changes in the state of the ionosphere (cluster H).

The main advantages of real-time monitoring are low cost, robustness and global coverage from a small number of locations. The main limitation is its indirectness: the SR measures integral quantities, so for precise localization inversion is needed (#78, #79) and calibration.