Articles

Analysis of Lightning Disasters in China and Their Correlative Factors

  • LU Weitao ,
  • MENG Qing ,
  • ZHANG Yijun ,
  • MA Ming
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  • Laboratory of Lightning Physics and Protection,Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences,Beijing 100081,China

Received date: 2008-01-02

  Revised date: 2008-05-09

  Online published: 2008-08-10

Abstract

In order to obtain a better reveal of the spatial and temporal distribution and formation mechanism of lightning disasters in China, this paper establishes a national lightning disaster database and gives statistic analysis of lightning disaster data from 1997 to 2006, in combination with the analysis of satellite-based Optical Transient Detector and Lightning Imaging Sensor lightning detecting data from 1995 to 2005 over China. Characteristics of lightning disasters and correlative factors are studied, including lightning exposure, hazard formative environment, hazard, hazard affected bodies and their interactions. The results are as follows. (1) The frequency of lightning disasters and lightning-related casualties correlate with hazard (lightning activities) and hazard affected bodies (population and economic development) in different areas of China. Taking area into consideration, lightning casualties correlate with lightning density, population density and the average GDP, but in negative correlation with rural population proportion and area. Various types of lightning exposure are closely related to various types of hazard affected bodies (proportion of urban population to rural population and economic development). Casualties from lightning disasters rate higher where rural population proportion is higher, while cities mainly suffer property loss from lightning disasters. (2) The annual and diurnal variations in the lightning casualties and the lightning damage correlate significantly with that of the lightning rate. Compared with lightning damages, lightning casualties are affected by people's life routines and habits. (3) Different hazard formative environment causes different ways of lightning casualties and damages. The most proportion lightning fatalities occur on farmland, while the most proportion lightning injuries occur in buildings. (4) 80% of lightning casualties incidents only involve one or two victim, while 61% of the cases involve one victim and 19% involve two victims. Lightning disasters with one death account for 83% of all lightning disasters involving death, while lightning disasters with two death accounts for 12%. (5) Major lightning casualties are directly related to vulnerability of hazard affected bodies. 54% of major lightning casualties happen in rural buildings and constructions, in most of which lightning protection appliances are not installed. 21% happen in sites with danger of explosion and fire, while 13% and 8% happen in classrooms and tourist sites respectively.

Cite this article

LU Weitao , MENG Qing , ZHANG Yijun , MA Ming . Analysis of Lightning Disasters in China and Their Correlative Factors[J]. Advances in Earth Science, 2008 , 23(8) : 856 -865 . DOI: 10.11867/j.issn.1001-8166.2008.08.0856

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