Stratospheric Observations of Corona Current from Loon's Superpressure Balloons

Loon LLC collected 794 000 h of corona current observations between 15 and similar to 20 km above sea level with time resolution between 1 and 30 min. We are publicly releasing this dataset to enable the research community's understanding of electrical activity in the stratosphere. We validate the reliability of these measurements by aligning our flight data with both nearby Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) events and the Convective Diagnostic Oceanic (CDO) indicator. Corona current observations that exceeded the sensor maximum of 10 mu A were associated with high GLM optical flux accumulations along the flight trajectory. Using the CDO indicator as a persistence forecast for future electrical activity was effective at predicting corona current events, and so we highly recommend this data source for real-time stratospheric navigation for vehicles sensitive to the harsh electrical environment of the stratosphere.

Automated summary

Loon LLC has released a dataset of corona current observations in the stratosphere, collected over a period of time with high resolution. The reliability of these measurements has been validated by comparing with other indicators. This dataset is recommended for real-time navigation in the stratosphere.