Patent ID: 8332150

Claim:
A method for monitoring storm activity on the Earth's surface in real time with an analysis of electromagnetic signals induced by electrical spark discharges in the atmosphere in storm cells, wherein Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) electromagnetic field signals generated in an Earth-ionosphere resonator are received via two active magnetic induction antennas (A x , A y ) and subsequently recorded ( 211 ), said recorded signals are subjected in an electronic data processing unit to spectral analysis ( 212 ) with the generation of their power spectra (Sx, Sy), characterized in that the method comprises further the steps of: in the electronic data processing unit: matching the power spectra (Sx, Sy) with resonance curves to parametrize the power spectra ( 213 ) by a set of observation parameters (p k , f k , y k and e k ), based on ELF field resonance propagation models in the Earth-ionosphere resonator, comparing the observation parameters (p k , f k , y k and e k ) dependent on distance and intensity of the electrical spark discharges with base parameters (p ok , f ok , y ok and e ok ) contained within a model parameter database ( 214 ), wherein the base parameters selected as the best approximation to the observation parameters (p k , f k , y k and e k ) dependent on distance and intensity of the electrical spark discharges, are used for developing a map (M (x, y) ) of location and intensity of the electrical spark discharges ( 216 ).