Group Leader: Professor Craig Rodger
The Otago Space Physics group is also involved in Atmospheric Electricity research, principally revolving around global lightning detection. From its very first stages in 2002 we have been part of the World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN), a network of radio receivers scattered around the world but linked by the internet. Our research in this area focuses on improving the detection efficiency and location accuracy of the lightning detections provided by the network, as well as seeing how lightning affects the upper atmosphere and couples to space. Our group operates one of the two central processing computers of the WWLLN network and also operates WWLLN sensors located in Dunedin, Scott Base (Antarctica), and Edmonton (Canada).
Due to our WWLLN-activities we have also worked with the New Zealand MetService to better understand the observations from the New Zealand Lightning Detection Network (NZLDN). Up until midway through last decade the group was also strongly involved in research into red sprites and other transient luminous events, running experimental campaigns in the USA and Australia.