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Abstract: In this paper, we compare five engineering return stroke models, extended to include the presence of an elevated strike object, namely the Bruce–Golde (BG) model, the transmission line (TL) model, the traveling current source (TCS) model, and the two modified TL models (MTLL and MTLE). The model-predicted current profile along the channel and along the strike object, as well as radiated electric and magnetic fields at different distances are presented and discussed. The comparison is made assuming the same ‘undisturbed current’ (that is the idealized current that would be measured at the tower top if the current reflection coefficients at its both extremities were equal to zero) and the same return-stroke speed. Except for the case of very close (50m) electric field, it is found that the computed electromagnetic fields associated with a strike to a 168-m tall tower are less model-dependent than those corresponding to a strike to flat ground. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Although, due to the high variability of key parameters such as the return-stroke speed, it is impossible to determine the lightning current accurately from the remotely measured electric or magnetic field for a given event, we show in this paper that, for an assumed return-stroke model, the statistical estimation (e.g. in terms of mean values and standard deviations) is possible. We show additionally that for the transmission line (TL) model, the equation permitting to infer the mean value of the return-stroke current from the mean value of electric or magnetic field and the mean value of speed has the same functional form as the well-known TL current—far field relationship. This result gives to some extent a theoretical justification to the use of lightning location systems to infer parameters of lightning current statistical distributions from measured fields alone. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]