A new technique for detecting smoke aerosols over land appears promising. Ongoing research is focussed upon refining detection techniques and estimating the uncertainties of the radiative forcing values. The techniques and methodologies that are currently being developed will be directly applicable to the data sets from the upcoming EOS-AM mission. A n article entitled 'Mystery of cloud electrification' recently published in the November-December issue of American Scientist included a LIS image of lightning in Hurricane Bonnie's rainbands, a storm well sampled by both TRMM and NASA research airplanes. Although lightning in hurricane rainbands is not unusual, lightning activity in the eyewall is much less common.
Some scientists suggest that eyewall lightning is associated with intensity changes.
During one particular October 18 TRMM overpass, hurricanes Lester and Madeline, at the time located just off the west coast of Mexico, were both producing eyewall lightning. During a ER2 research flight of Hurricane Georges while it was passing over Hispaniola, the ER2 pilot reported frequent lightning, apparently originating in the hurricane eyewall. TRMM's first year of tropical storm observations will provide a very good data base to examine the characteristics of tropical cyclone lightning activity. NAPScaR was a joint field experiment among NOAA, the British Royal Navy, and selected NASA researchers. The purpose of NAPScaR was to gather data on oceanic internal waves in the North Atlantic.