Otis Singleton
The Earth's atmosphere is a dynamic and complex system that encompasses various electrical phenomena, collectively termed atmospheric electricity. This interdisciplinary field explores the electrical charges and currents present in the Earth's atmosphere, encompassing concepts from electrostatics, atmospheric physics, meteorology, and Earth science. The existence of separated electric charges in the atmosphere arises from numerous minor and major processes, such as spray electrification, dust electrification, cosmic-ray ionization, and thunderstorm electrification. Thunderstorms, for instance, act as giant batteries, charging the electrosphere to high voltages and establishing an electric field that decreases with altitude. This field influences the behaviour of atmospheric ions and enables the occurrence of lightning and other luminous events. The Earth's ionosphere, with its ionized layers, plays a crucial role in atmospheric electricity, facilitating global radio communications and contributing to the stunning light displays of the aurora borealis and aurora australis. Scientists have recently detected a global electric field, known as the ambipolar electric field, which helps regulate the escape of atmospheric particles into space and may play a role in making a planet habitable.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Phenomenon | Atmospheric electricity |
| Description | Electrical charges in the Earth's atmosphere |
| Causes | Spray electrification, dust electrification, cosmic-ray ionization, radioactive-particle ionization, thunderstorm electrification, evaporation from the Earth's surface, chemical changes on the Earth's surface, and the expansion, condensation, and variation of temperature of the atmosphere and moisture contained in it |
| Effects | Lightning, atmospheric ionization, air-earth current, St. Elmo's Fire, transient luminous events, thunderstorms, ozone-producing chemicals, nitrous oxide, wildfires, property damage |
| Measurement | 400,000 volts with respect to the surface during thunderstorms; near the surface of the Earth, the average is 100 V/m |
| Researchers | Lemonnier, Beccaria, Saussure, Coulomb, Erman, Peltier, Francis Ronalds, Kelvin, Whipple, Scrase, Roble, Tzur, Chalmers, Glyn Collinson, David Brain |
| Related Concepts | Electrostatics, atmospheric physics, meteorology, Earth science, global atmospheric electrical circuit, ionosphere, Schumann resonance, ambipolar electric field, magnetosphere, magnetic field |
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What You'll Learn
Lightning, atmospheric ionization, and air-earth currents
Atmospheric electricity refers to electrical phenomena in the Earth's atmosphere, including lightning, atmospheric ionization, and air-earth currents. The movement of charges between the Earth's surface, the atmosphere, and the ionosphere is known as the global atmospheric electrical circuit.
The Earth and its atmosphere are constantly bombarded by radiation from outer space, primarily consisting of positively charged ions. This radiation interacts with atoms in the atmosphere, creating an air shower of secondary ionizing radiation, including X-rays, muons, protons, alpha particles, pions, and electrons. This ionization ensures that the atmosphere is weakly conductive, allowing for a slight current flow over the Earth's surface, balancing the current from thunderstorms.
Lightning is a well-known natural phenomenon and one of the key focuses of atmospheric electricity research. It occurs when the insulating capacity of the air between positive and negative charges in a cloud or between a cloud and the ground breaks down, resulting in a rapid discharge of electricity. This flash of lightning temporarily equalizes the charged regions until the opposite charges build up again. Lightning can occur within a thunderstorm cloud (intra-cloud lightning) or between the cloud and the ground (cloud-to-ground lightning).
The study of atmospheric electricity has a long history, with early researchers using kites and hot-air balloons to make measurements. Scientists like Coulomb, Erman, Peltier, and Francis Ronalds made significant contributions to understanding atmospheric electrical phenomena and air-earth currents. Ronalds, in particular, made continuous automated recordings of the potential gradient and air-earth currents in the early 19th century.
Today, NASA and other organizations use ground-, airborne-, and space-based instruments to detect lightning and atmospheric electricity, providing valuable data for understanding transient luminous events and the broader field of atmospheric electricity.
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The role of the ionosphere
The ionosphere is a critical component of the Earth's atmosphere, playing a significant role in various atmospheric and communication processes. It is a shell of electrons and electrically charged atoms and molecules that surrounds the Earth. The ionosphere is formed by the absorption of solar radiation by atmospheric gases, which creates ionized layers such as the D, E, and F layers. These layers enable global radio communications by refracting radio waves back to Earth. The F layer, for instance, starts about 150 km above the Earth's surface and can extend as high as 500 km.
The ionosphere is influenced by the solar wind, a constant stream of charged particles released by the Sun. Earth's magnetic field deflects most of the solar wind, but the particles follow the magnetic field lines toward the poles, interacting with the sparse air molecules above approximately 150 km to create the aurora borealis and australis. The ionosphere is also affected by space weather, which includes changing magnetic and electric conditions in space, as well as solar activity. These factors can cause sudden swells of charged particles, which impact the lifespan of satellites in orbit.
The ionosphere plays a crucial role in radio wave propagation and sky wave propagation in space. It was first observed in 1925 by Dr. Alfred N. Goldsmith and his team, who studied the influence of sunlight on radio wave propagation during a solar eclipse in New York. They found that short waves became weak or inaudible, while long waves steadied during the eclipse. This discovery contributed to our understanding of the ionosphere's role in radio transmission.
The ionosphere is also integral to our everyday communications and navigation systems. Radio and GPS signals travel through or bounce off the ionosphere to reach their destinations. Changes in the ionosphere's density and composition can disrupt these signals. Additionally, weather patterns like hurricanes or thunderstorms can create pressure waves that ripple up into the ionosphere, causing disturbances in communication and navigation systems.
The study of the ionosphere and its irregularities is important for understanding its impact on various systems. Instruments such as ionosondes, topside sounders, scintillation receivers, airglow observations, and satellites have been used to investigate the ionospheric abnormalities caused by space weather activities.
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St. Elmo's Fire
In popular culture, St. Elmo's Fire is also the title of a 1985 film. The film follows a group of friends who have recently graduated from college and explores their lives and relationships. It stars actors such as Rob Lowe, Mare Winningham, Emilio Estevez, and Ally Sheedy.
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The Earth's magnetic field
The North and South geomagnetic poles do not align with the geographic poles. The North geomagnetic pole is located on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada, and represents the South Pole of Earth's magnetic field, and vice versa for the South geomagnetic pole. These geomagnetic poles slowly move over geological time, but not so rapidly that compasses become useless for navigation. However, at irregular intervals of several hundred thousand years, the Earth's magnetic field reverses, and the North and South geomagnetic poles switch places.
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The global atmospheric electrical circuit
The Earth's atmosphere is a complex electrical environment, influenced by various factors, including thunderstorms, solar activity, and human activity. Thunderstorms, occurring approximately 40,000 times per day globally, act as giant batteries, generating an electrical potential difference between the Earth's surface and the ionosphere through lightning. This results in a small current of approximately 2pA per square meter, transporting charged particles in the form of atmospheric ions between the ionosphere and the surface. The ionosphere, with its ionized layers, plays a crucial role in enabling global radio communications by refracting radio waves back to Earth.
In recent decades, advancements in technology, such as satellite observations and lightning detectors, have greatly improved our understanding of the global atmospheric electrical circuit. Programs such as SPECIAL (Space Processes and Electrical Changes Influencing Atmospheric Layers) and STEP (Solar Terrestrial Energy Program) have been launched to further our knowledge of this complex system and its interactions with solar activity and climate change.
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Frequently asked questions
Atmospheric electricity refers to the electrical charges and phenomena that occur in the Earth's atmosphere. This includes lightning, ionization, and the air-earth current.
Atmospheric electricity is caused by the movement of electrical charges between the Earth's surface, the atmosphere, and the ionosphere. This movement creates a global atmospheric electrical circuit. Thunderstorms, cosmic rays, and natural radioactivity can all contribute to this.
Atmospheric electricity is an interdisciplinary field involving electrostatics, atmospheric physics, meteorology, and Earth science. Scientists use ground-, air-, and space-based instruments to detect and study atmospheric electricity and related phenomena.
The ionosphere is a layer in the Earth's atmosphere created by the absorption of solar radiation by atmospheric gases. It contains ionized layers that enable global radio communications by refracting radio waves back to Earth. The ionosphere plays a crucial role in atmospheric electricity, as it influences the electric field and conduction current in the lower atmosphere.
