Atmospheric Electricity

Colin PricePorter 314

cprice@flash.tau.ac.il

Porter School of the Environment and Earth Sciences

Tel Aviv University, Israel

A~1/f

Alternating Current

Ionosphere

90km

Our Electric Atmosphere

Earthquakeprecursors

Spaceweather

Sprites

ThunderstormsSevere weatherClimate Change

El Nino

MeteorsElectrophonics

Upper AtmosphericChanges

Hurricanes

Cameras

Ez, Jz ULF

ELF VLF

Research Stations:

Mitzpe RamonTimnaDragotHermonSde BokerTAU

FiresNOx

Timna

Dragot

Yehudiya

Stages of Thunderstorm Development

IC = in-cloud; CG = cloud-to-ground lightning

Thunderstorm

Electrification and

Renewable Energy?

The Armstrong EffectIn 1840, a surprising electrocution of Lord Armstrong’s worker next to a steam boileroccurred. The escaping steam somehow electrified the metal boiler.

This phenomenon will be later known as:

‘The Armstrong Effect’

Armstrong built a ‘hydroelectric machine’ which generated half a meter long sparks– accidently causing a severe shock to one of the workers and killing a big dog.

Source: http://www.antony-anderson.com/Armstrong.pdf

Preliminary Results

Grounded outer metal – Chrome plated Brass (CPB) = 0VInner metal – Stainless Steel (SS) = (-0.7)-(-0.9)V

Satellite tracking of lightning

Tornado

Hail

WindsFlash Floods

Hail

Hurricanes

Severe Weather often associated with a specific lightning fingerprint

Examples of fingerprints

Number of lightning flashes often peaks10-20 minutes before heavy rainfall

Lightning polarity mainly positive when hail observed

Lightning activity often “jumps” 15-20 minutes before tornadoes observed on the ground

Plan View-CG and +CG

Katrina – August 2005

Dust storms

Feb 2015

Lightning is a hazard for aviation, power companies, and the public

SPRITES

Terrestrial Gamma Ray Flashes (TGFs)

GCM simulations using lightning parameterizations

Total Lightning:

F ~ H5 over landF ~ H 1.7 over oceans

(Price & Rind, 1992)

Fraction of CG vs. IC lightning:

IC/CG ~ cold cloud thickness

(Price and Rind, 1993)

How do we predict lightning changes?

40% increase by 2100

Changes in Lightning by 2100

New Mexico Colorado

(Germany)

Is Lightning Itself

Important for

Climate Change?

Atmospheric Chemistry

New Mexico

Brazil

NOx

Intensity of horizontal magnetic AC field in the 0.01-0.02 Hz range

Earthquake Precursors?

Electromagnetic Signals from Meteors

Planetary Lightning

Schumann Resonances5-45 Hz

Frequency (Hz)

(Schumann, 1952)

Fraser-Smith and Bannister (1998)

Extremely Low Frequencies

Human EEG

Electric Spectra in Living Animals

Zooplankton

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

10 20 30 40 50

Po

wer (

Rela

tiv

e U

nit

s)

Frequency (Hz)

8Hz

14Hz

20Hz

27Hz

33Hz39Hz

Lightning

Human EEG

Zooplankton

Human EEG

8 14 20 26 8 14 20 26 8 14 20 26 8 14 20 26

Is there a link?

How does lightning on Earth compare with lightning on other planets?

What is the relationship between lightning and severe weather and hurricanes?

How will lightning and thunderstorms change in a warmer climate?

Lightning and the origin of life?

How are Terrestrial Gamma Ray Flashes (TGFs) formed?

How do dust storms become electrically charged?

Volcanic lightning.

Can forest fires trigger thunderstorms and more lightning activity?

Do electromagnetic precursors exist before earthquakes?

Do meteors produce radio waves when the enter the atmosphere?

Do solar storms impact thunderstorm activity on Earth?

Can atmospheric electricity be used as a renewable energy?