In this readable, absorbing, up-to-date monograph, one of the nation's foremost experts on lightning sets forth most of what has been learned about the subject. To make the material more easily understandable, the author has organized the chapters primarily by lightning process. Following a general introduction and chapters on lightning phenomenology and cloud and lightning charges, he looks into the types and stages of lightning, with chapters on the stepped leader, the attachment process, the return stroke, the dart leader, continuing current, J- and K-processes in discharges to the ground, positive lightning, upward lightning and the artificial initiation of lightning, and cloud discharges. In the final two chapters, Dr. Uman investigates lightning on other planets and examines the phenomenon of thunder.
Each chapter contains a reference list, and the book as a whole is augmented with a generous selection of diagrams, charts, and photographs. Appendices on electromagnetics, statistics, and experimental techniques help to clarify some of the concepts covered in the text. A fourth appendix lists relevant books. Of special interest to physicists, meteorologists, and electrical engineers, the newly corrected edition of this detailed study offers a deep understanding of one of nature's most intriguing phenomena. 144 illustrations. Appendices. Index.