Comparative Analysis of Anomalous Localized Luminous Phenomena and Associated Digital Sensor Artifacts in the Mid-Latitude Boundary Layer
Comparative Analysis of Anomalous Localized Luminous Phenomena and Associated Digital Sensor Artifacts in the Mid-Latitude Boundary Layer Authors: Sen Lin, and Gary Opit. Target Journals: Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres / Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Abstract Ground-level transient luminous events (TLEs) and localized plasma-like phenomena present complex challenges for optical atmospheric sensing. This paper evaluates a longitudinal dataset of nocturnal optical anomalies captured via consumer-grade charge-coupled device (CCD) and complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) sensors in Auckland, New Zealand (2005) and Sydney, Australia (2024–2026). While approximately 99.9% of nocturnal spherical anomalies are mathematically attributable to near-field retroreflective particulate scattering (e.g., pollen, dust, hydrometeors), a discrete subset of recorded events demonstrates electro-optical coupling, including electronic viewfinder blackouts and geometric tr...