[en] The authors estimate proton heating rates in the ionosphere above thunderstorm cells due to electromagnetic waves generated by these cells. Their model is that electron whistler waves are generated by lightning, and propagate into the ionosphere. There they are able to mode convert to proton whistler and lower hybrid waves on plasma density fluctuations. The proton whistler waves then preheat the protons to energies where they can absorb energy from the lower hybrid waves. The model predicts heating rates such that low altitude spacecraft should be able to observe the flux of these heated protons