INFLUENCE OF THE CN TOWER ON THE LIGHTNING
ENVIRONMENT IN ITS VICINITY
A.M. Hussein1,2, S. Jan1
, V. Todorovski1
, M. Milewski1
, K.L. Cummins3
and W. Janischewskyj2
1
Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada; ahussein@ee.ryerson.ca 2
Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada 3
Atmospheric Sciences, University of Arizona, AZ, USA
Abstract - The CN Tower has been the center of tourism in Toronto since it first opened to the public on June
26, 1976. Standing at 553 meters, it is Canada’s most recognizable icon. Could there be a down side to this
incredible structure? Does it attract more lightning; potentially putting the surrounding area in its vicinity in
harm’s way, or does it provide lightning protection to this area? Although, extensive investigations have been
performed concerning the characteristics of lightning strikes to the CN Tower, not much attention has been
given to the characteristics of lightning strikes in the vicinity of the tower or the influence the tower has on the
lightning environment around it. This paper is planned to help in addressing these questions. Using lightning
data reported in 2005 by the combined Canadian Lightning Detection Network (CLDN) and U.S. National
Lightning Detection Network (NLDN), an extensive analysis of lightning activity within 100 km of the tower has
been carried out. A comparison between the characteristics of CN Tower strikes and those of strikes occurring
in its vicinity is also included. Excluding CN Tower strokes, a lower stroke density in the area of up to a few
kilometres from the tower was observed, when compared with other nearby areas. Although the tower may
provide some protection to the area in its immediate vicinity, a larger data set is needed to confirm this initial
interesting finding. Furthermore, the waveform parameters of the lightning electromagnetic pulse (LEMP)
generated by return strokes to the tower are compared with those generated by non-CN Tower strokes. In
addition to the marked increase in the frequency of occurrence of CN Tower LEMP, its wavefront peak and
maximum rate-of-rise are found to be substantially larger than those characterizing non-CN Tower LEMP.
Therefore, electronic and communication systems located in the vicinity of a very tall structure may be exposed
to much higher levels of electromagnetic interference resulting from its LEMP.
1 INTRODUCTION
Although the lightning ground flash density (GFD), number of cloud-to-ground flashes per square kilometre per year,
in the Toronto area is about two, the Canadian National (CN) Tower, usually receives many tens of lightning strikes
yearly [1]. For example, video records show that in 1991, the CN Tower was hit with 80 flashes, 24 of which occurred
within 100-minute period [2].Therefore, the CN Tower presents one of the best sites in the world to observe lighting
for the purpose of studying tall-structure lightning, including the derivation of extensive statistics concerning the visual
characteristics of lightning flashes [2], [3], and the waveform parameters of the lightning current [4] and its generated
electromagnetic pulse [5]. Furthermore, return-stroke current models for lightning to elevated objects [6], [7] and the
performance characteristics of the combined CLDN and NLDN (referred to as the North American Lightning Detection
Network, or NALDN) have been evaluated based on CN Tower lightning return-stroke data [8].
Lightning strikes to the CN Tower have been observed for over 30 years. In 1991, five recording stations were in
operation to simultaneously capture the CN Tower lighting parameters; namely, the current derivative at the tower
using a Rogowski coil and RTD 710A Tektronix digitizers, the vertical component of the electric field and the two
horizontal components of the magnetic field, 2 km north of the tower, using broadband active sensors and RTD 710A
Tektronix digitizers, the return-stroke velocity, RSV, using a photodiode system, and two 2-dimensional images of the
flash trajectory using VHS (video home system) cameras from directions that are approximately perpendicular to each
other [1]. Figure 1 shows the CN Tower and the locations of these instruments.
Since 1996, an expansion of the measurement facilities has been taking place. A 1000-frame/sec high-speed camera
(HSC) was acquired in 1996 (Fig. 1). In 1997, a noise-protected current sensing system consisting of a new Rogowski
coil and an optical fibre link was installed at the tower (Fig. 1). In 2001, two LeCroy LT362 double-channel digitizers
with 2-ns time resolution and large segmented memories were acquired to record the lighting return-stroke current
derivative at the tower and its corresponding electromagnetic field. For time synchronization of CN Tower lightning
recording instruments, four Global Positioning System (GPS) units were also acquired. In 2008, a new two-channel
current recording system was installed at the tower with much larger memory per channel (50-M points) for the
possibility of measuring the continuing current.
August 19, 2005 was a Toronto famous stormy day, which provided much of the data reported in this investigation [9].
Using the NALDN data, the ground flash density for that day (24-hour period, Toronto local time) within 100 km
radius around the CN Tower was 0.4 flashes per square km, whereas the ground flash density in the same area for the
whole year (2005) was 2.38; that is to say 16.8% of lightning flashes during 2005 occurred on August 19. Also, the
stroke density within the same area on August 19 was 0.98, which amounts to 17% of the stroke density during the
whole year (5.79). Furthermore, during the same day, the CN Tower was struck by six flashes containing 37 return
strokes, 22 of which were reported by the NALDN. It is also interesting to note that the average flash multiplicity for
CN Tower flashes on August 19 was 6.17 according to CN Tower lightning data, whereas it was 3.67 according to
NALDN data. In contrast, the average flash multiplicity for non-CN Tower flashes within 100 km from the tower was
2.46 during the same day and 2.43 for the whole year. Therefore, a CN Tower flash, on average, contains more strokes
than a non-CN Tower flash.
In order to assess the protection effects of the tower on the area within its immediate vicinity, a careful study of
NALDN flash data within the area of up to 20 km from the tower indicated that the distances between estimated
locations of strokes within the same flash can be large, reaching close to 10 km in several cases. Therefore, the
influence of the existence of the tower on the lightning environment in its vicinity has been found to be more properly
investigated using the NALDN stroke data rather than its flash data.
Given the large attractive radius of the tower, it is possible to assume that stroke density near the tower is disturbed,
and that the characteristics of flashes/strokes in the immediate vicinity of the tower may differ from those of moredistant
strikes. This paper emphasizes the comparison between the characteristics of lightning strikes (e.g., flash
multiplicity, stroke density, polarity, and peak current) to the CN Tower and those of strikes occurring in the tower’s
vicinity. Also, the wavefront parameters (peak and maximum rate-of-rise) of lightning electromagnetic pulses (LEMPs)
generated by CN Tower return strokes are compared with those of LEMPs generated by return strokes to much shorter
objects or to ground in the vicinity of the tower [10].
2 Current Derivative and Field Measurement Systems
The return-stroke current derivative resulting from a strike to the CN Tower is measured using two Rogowski coils.
The older, 3-m long, 40-MHz coil was installed at the 474-m AGL in 1990, and encircles one-fifth of the tower’s steel
pentagonal structure [4]. Because of the symmetry, the captured signal is assumed to correspond to 20% of the total
current derivative. The coil is connected to one channel of an 8-bit, 2-ns, double-channel LeCroy LT362 digitizer,
located at a recording station (403-m AGL, Fig. 1), via a tri-axial cable. In 1997, a newer, 6-m long, 20-MHz coil was
installed at the 509-m AGL. The new coil encircles the whole steel structure of the tower and is connected to the
LeCroy digitizer via an optical fiber link [4]. During the 2005 lightning season, the new Rogowski coil was not
operational; therefore, the current data used here were obtained via the old Rogowski coil.
Since 1991, the vertical component of the electric field (Ez) and the azimuthal component of the magnetic field (Hφ),
resulting from lightning strikes to the CN Tower and strikes occurring in its vicinity, have been captured by broadband
active field sensors [11]. The sensors are placed on the roof of a 20-m high building, located 2 km north of the tower,
and are connected to a double-channel LeCroy LT362 digitizer via coaxial cables. The electric field sensor is an active,
hollow, hemispherical-shaped monopole with a sensitivity of 1.44 V/(kV/m). The electric field sensor has low and high
3-dB cut-off frequencies of 47 Hz and 100 MHz, respectively. The magnetic field sensor is of the small-loop antenna
type with a sensitivity of 0.166 V/(A/m). It has low and high 3-dB cutoff frequencies of 697 Hz and 150 MHz,
respectively. The circular loop of the magnetic field sensor is oriented in such a way as to capture the azimuthal
component of the magnetic field generated by CN Tower lightning strokes.
In 2004, GPS units were added for time synchronization of CN Tower lightning recording instruments, including the
current derivative and field measurement systems, allowing a time stamping, accurate to 1 μs, for each recorded return
stroke. In the past, before the acquisition of the GPS units, it was a tedious task to match lightning flashes recorded by
different instruments, let alone trying to match individual return strokes. Therefore, it was quite difficul