Propagation Effects Due to Finitely Conducting Ground on Lightning-Generated Magnetic Fields Evaluated Using Sommerfeld's Integrals

The effects of finitely conducting ground on the signature of lightning-generated magnetic fields at ground level were evaluated by numerical solution of Sommerfeld's integrals. Results are presented for distances between 10 m to 1 km from the lightning channel and for ground conductivities in the range of 0.01 and 0.0001 S/m. The results obtained from the exact theory are compared with the predictions of two frequently used analytical approximations to Sommerfeld's equations. Based on that comparison, the limits of validity of these approximate theories are obtained.