NERC GW4+ DTP PhD studentship: Lightning Discharges – Impact on Communication Systems

This project is one of a number that are in competition for funding from the NERC Great Western Four+ Doctoral Training Partnership (GW4+ DTP). The GW4+ DTP consists of the Great Western Four alliance of the University of Bath, University of Bristol, Cardiff University and the University of Exeter plus six Research Organisation partners: British Antarctic Survey, British Geological Survey, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, the Met Office, the Natural History Museum and Plymouth Marine Laboratory. The partnership aims to provide a broad training in earth and environmental sciences, designed to train tomorrow’s leaders in earth and environmental science. For further details about the programme, please see http://nercgw4plus.ac.uk/

The CASE partner for this project is METROL, a research and development division of the oil industry, headed by Steve Hudson. METROL is located in Dorset in the UK http://www.metrol.co.uk. METROL offers a large variety of services to industries engaged in geophysical exploration with an emphasis on oil extraction in numerous locations around the world.

Project description:

Lightning discharges have a significant impact on communication systems, such as electrostatic signalling for subsurface oil exploration and the communication with sub-merged submarines. More specifically, lightning discharges reduce the efficiency of these communication systems through electromagnetic interference. This project will make use of novel space based lightning imaging sensors to optically record lightning discharges on board of several satellites to develop a stochastic model of lightning activity. This stochastic model will be used as an input for a numerical model of the wave propagation of the electromagnetic waves emitted by lightning discharges. The combination of the stochastic model with the wave propagation model enables a prediction of the interference levels at geophysical oil exploration sites for comparison with on site communication devices. The comparison between the predicted and measured interference levels subsequently enables an extension to a climatological forecast of the expected interference levels to significantly improve subsurface communication systems toward optimum efficiency.

A key novelty will be the use of lightning imaging sensors on board of satellites to con-struct a stochastic model of lightning discharge occurrences. These satellites will be used to measure the optical signatures of lightning discharges. These measurements will be combined with ground based measurements of the radio spectrum from ~4 Hz to ~400 kHz during field work in southern France in the summer months, where numerous thunderstorms occur.

Specifically, the project consists of three main elements (1) strategic planning of the project in the context of forthcoming space missions to maximise the impact of the project, (2) conduct field work with novel experiments in southern France and subsequent interpretation of the collected data, and (3) application of the knowledge gained during knowledge transfer for the benefit of the project partner METROL who is actively engaged in subsurface oil exploration.

(1) Strategic planning: The successful candidate will participate in meetings with METROL and the teams around novel space missions to maximise the impact of the project. The two missions are the Atmosphere-Space Interaction Monitor (ASIM) of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the micro-satellite TARANIS of the French Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES). The two space missions are pathfinder missions to prepare the forthcoming Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) satellite which features an optical lightning detection module in geostationary orbit.

(2) Conduct field work with subsequent interpretation of the collected data. The successful candidate will participate in field work in southern France in collaboration with the team of the Laboratoire Souterrain a Bas Bruit (LSBB) in Rustrel. The project will deploy electrostatic measurement equipment to measure the interference levels resulting from distant lightning discharges, when numerous thunderstorms occur occurring during the summer months. Allied with the stochastic model and the wave propagation model, these measurements and the subsequent interpretation enable the optimisation of communication systems for subsurface oil exploration.

(3) Application of the knowledge gained. The successful candidate will participate in project meetings with METROL and the satellite operators. The scientific outcomes of the project are of immediate interest to METROL which operates electrostatic communication devices at subsurface oil exploration sites around the world. At the end of the project, the successful candidate will be able to plan and conduct complex projects and manage the implications of the research toward communication applications in industry.

The successful candidate has a first class degree in applied physics, e.g., geoscience, astronomy or plasma physics, mathematics, or electronic and electrical engineering and is interested to participate in demanding field work in southern France.