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Remote Sensing
Volume 18
Issue 1
10.3390/rs18010163
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Thermal Deformation Correction for the FY-4A LMI

by
Yuansheng Zhang
1,2,
Xiushu Qie
1,2,*,
Dongjie Cao
3,
Shanfeng Yuan
1,
Dongfang Wang
1,
Hongbo Zhang
1,
Dongxia Liu
1,
Zhuling Sun
1,
Mingyuan Liu
1,
Kexin Zhu
1,2,
Rubin Jiang
1 and
Jing Yang
1
1
State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment and Extreme Meteorology, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
2
College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
3
National Satellite Meteorological Center, Chinese Meteorological Administration, Beijing 100081, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(1), 163; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18010163
Submission received: 12 November 2025 / Revised: 25 December 2025 / Accepted: 30 December 2025 / Published: 4 January 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Satellite Data for Lightning Mapping)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Affected by solar radiation in space, the FY-4A Lightning Mapping Imager (LMI) detection array exhibits daily periodic thermal expansion and contraction, leading to deviations in lightning positioning accuracy. While LMI’s detection efficiency is higher at night, the dual edge matching algorithm, which relies on surface features for correction, does not perform well during nighttime (around 3 pixels). Analysis shows that most of the lightning data corrected by this method exhibit significant deviations from the actual lightning locations in practical applications. Therefore, this paper proposes a new correction method based on high precision ground-based lightning location data from the 2019 summer World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN) and the Beijing Broadband Lightning Network (BLNET). Using these datasets as reference standards, the periodic deviation of LMI is determined, and a correction curve is derived using a weighted Gaussian fitting approach. This method further improves the nighttime lightning location accuracy of LMI on the basis of the current operational algorithm. The results demonstrate that the corrected LMI data significantly reduces the positioning errors, with an accuracy within ±1 pixel in the Beijing area, as an example.
Keywords: Lightning Mapping Imager (LMI); World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN); Beijing Broadband Lightning Network (BLNET); thermal deformation correction; curve fitting Lightning Mapping Imager (LMI); World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN); Beijing Broadband Lightning Network (BLNET); thermal deformation correction; curve fitting

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Zhang, Y.; Qie, X.; Cao, D.; Yuan, S.; Wang, D.; Zhang, H.; Liu, D.; Sun, Z.; Liu, M.; Zhu, K.; et al. Thermal Deformation Correction for the FY-4A LMI. Remote Sens. 2026, 18, 163. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18010163

AMA Style

Zhang Y, Qie X, Cao D, Yuan S, Wang D, Zhang H, Liu D, Sun Z, Liu M, Zhu K, et al. Thermal Deformation Correction for the FY-4A LMI. Remote Sensing. 2026; 18(1):163. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18010163

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhang, Yuansheng, Xiushu Qie, Dongjie Cao, Shanfeng Yuan, Dongfang Wang, Hongbo Zhang, Dongxia Liu, Zhuling Sun, Mingyuan Liu, Kexin Zhu, and et al. 2026. "Thermal Deformation Correction for the FY-4A LMI" Remote Sensing 18, no. 1: 163. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18010163

APA Style

Zhang, Y., Qie, X., Cao, D., Yuan, S., Wang, D., Zhang, H., Liu, D., Sun, Z., Liu, M., Zhu, K., Jiang, R., & Yang, J. (2026). Thermal Deformation Correction for the FY-4A LMI. Remote Sensing, 18(1), 163. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18010163

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