Field Mill
Charging by induction Initially neutral Introduce a charge, creating an electric field E
Charging by induction Contact charging - + E
Storm Electrification Is NOT well understood There is more than one parameter –Buoyancy –Hydrometeor type –Conductivity Even within the same storm Role of charge separation
Electrical properties of water Polarity Dielectric Induction
Charging Mechanisms Induction –Result is a polarized hydrometeor Ion particle charging Particle-particle charging E
Laboratory Experiments
Selective Ion Capture E
Gravity plays a role in differential charge separation Negative charge transfer to larger particles, which then fall to lower levels in the cloud.
Lightning Types Frequency of occurrence
The Electrification of thunderstorms is related to thermodynamics
Flash Rate and cloud top height Efforts to find a power law relationship
Flash Rate and Cloud Tops A deep Florida T-storm Note max flash rate corresponding to cloud top
Ground and intra-cloud flashes The IC/CG ratio increases with total
Flash Rate and radar reflectivity On average the ground flash rate increases rapidly with storm size.
Charge distribution in T-storms Different geographic areas: different buoyancy and other environmental parameters Note similarities, but differences
Balance of updraft and terminal velocities Ice particle collision may be the primary mechanism for charge separation.
Hailstones and cloud top velocity
Lightning and Hail at the ground
Corona or Point Discharge E
Corona (point discharge) The presence of some sort of conductive point Disruption of the Electric Field Electron Avalanche (non-ohmic)
Sprites and Elves Associated with MCS Active convective regions associated with ground flashes negative polarity Stratiform regions associated with less frequent, but more energetic, ground flashes with positive polarity
Atmospheric E-field conditions Density dependent dielectric strength of air Electric Field strength
The Atmosphere and the Lab Positive anode: red light The red sprite light is due to nitrogen first positive emission (neutral nitrogen excited by colliding free electrons)