Lightning Characteristics in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and Their Relationship with the Underlying Surface
Abstract：To systematically understand the spatiotemporal distribution of lightning and its relationship with the underlying surface in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, based on lightning location system data and other related surface characteristics parameters, the study used a univariate linear regression method to analyze the spatiotemporal characteristics of ground flash density in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area from 2007 to 2023, and used geostatistical methods to explore the relationship between ground flash density and regional surface characteristics (topography, land cover, vegetation types). The results show that the ground flash density in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area shows a trend of decreasing from Guangzhou as the center. From 2007 to 2023, the annual average ground flash density showed an initial increase followed by a decrease. The ground flash density is highest in urban and built-up areas; followed by bare land and grassland; water bodies, sparse savanna, and permanent wetlands are next; evergreen broad-leaved forests and multi-tree savannas, farmland and natural vegetation mosaics have relatively lower values. The ground flash density generally decreases with the increase of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). The ground flash density in the Greater Bay Area first increases and then decreases with the increase of the digital elevation model (DEM).
Keywords：Ground Flash DensityNormalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)Digital Elevation Model (DEM)Underlying SurfaceGuangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area
Publication Date：2025-10-20
Online Publishing Date：2025-10-30(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：6( 85-90 )