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Atmospheric electricity

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Atmospheric electricity is the regular diurnal variations of the Earth's atmospheric electromagnetic network (or, more broadly, any planet's electrical system in its layer of gases). Atmospheric electricity is a multidisciplinary topic.

History

In 1708, William Wall was one of the first to observed that spark discharges were akin to lightning, after watching such an event from a charged piece of amber. In the middle of the 18th century, Benjamin Franklin's experiments showed that the electric phenomena of the atmosphere are not fundamentally different from those produced in the laboratory. In July of 1750, Franklin hypothesized that electricity could be taken from clouds by a tall metal aerials. With ground-insulated aerials, an experimenter could bring a close a grounded lead, in insulative wax handle, and observe a spark discharge from the aerial to the grounding wire. In May of 1752, Thomas-François D’Alibard affirmed that Franklin's theory was correct. Around June of 1752, Franklin reportedly performed his famous kite experiment. L. G. Lemonnier (1752) reproduced Franklin experiment with an aerial, but substituted the ground wire with some dust particles (testing attraction). He went on to document the fair weather condition, the clear-day electrification of the atmosphere, and the diurnal variation of the atmosophere's electricity. G. Beccaria (1775) confirmed Lemonnier diurnal variation data and determined that the atmosphere's charge polarity was positive in fair weather. H. B. Saussure (1779) recorded data over a conductor's induced charge in the atmosphere. Saussure instrument (which contained two small spheres suspended in parralle with two thin wires) was an precursor to the electrometer. Saussure found that fair weather condition had an annual variation. Saussure found that there was a variation with height, as well. In 1785, C. A. Coulomb found the conductivity of air. His discovery was contrary to the prevailing thought that the atmospheric gases were insulators. His reaserch was in time completely forgotten. P. Erman (1804) theorized that the Earth was negatively charged. J. Peltier (1842) tested and confirmed Erman's idea. Lord Kelvin (1860s) put forth that atmospheric positive charges explained the fair weather condition and, later, recognize atmospheric electric fields.

Over the course of the next century, though the ideas of Volta and Francis Ronalds instrumental devices helped further along investigations. With the invention of the portable electrometer and Lord Kelvin's 19th century water-dropping electrograph, a greater definiteness was introduced into observational results. Towards the end of the 19th century came the discoveries by W. Linss (1887) found that that even the most perfectly insulated conductors lose their charge, as Coulomb before him found, and that this loss depends on atmospheric conditions. H. H. Hoffert (1889) identified individual lightning downward strokes using early camera. J. Elster and H. F. Geitel, who also worked on thermionic emissions, proposed a theory to explain thunderstorm's electrical structure (1885) and, later, discovered atmospheric radioactivity (1899). Then it was recognized of the facts that freely charged positive and negative ions were always present in the atmosphere, and that radiant emanations can be collected. F. Pockels (1897) estimated lightning current intensity and analyzed lightning flashes induced in basalt via left-over magnetic fields

Discoveries about the electrification of the atmosphere via sensistive electrical instruments and the ideas on how the Earth’s negative charge is maintained was developed in the in the 20th century. Whilst a certian amount of observational work has been done in the branches of atmospheric electricity, the science has not developed to a considerable extent. Observations have usually been limited to a portion of the year, or to a few hours of the day, whilst the results from different stations differ much in details.

Description and research

Layers of Atmosphere (NOAA)

Atmospheric electricity abounds in the environment; some traces of it are found less than four feet from the surface of the earth, but on attaining greater height it becomes more apparent. The conductivity increases exponentially with altitude. The amplitudes of the electric and magnetic components depend on season, latitude, and height above the sea level. The greater the altitude the more atmospheric electricity abounds. Upon reaching elevations above the clouds, atmospheric electricity forms a continuous and distinct element (called the ionosphere) in which the Earth is surrounded.

Potential difference between the ionosphere and the Earth is maintained by thunderstorms' pumping action of lightning discharges. In the Earth-ionosphere cavity, the electric field and conduction current in the lower atmosphere are primarily controlled by ions. Ions are have the characteristic parameters such as mobility, lifetime, and generation rate that vary with altitude.Regional phenomena in atmospheric electricity is conditioned by geophysical events (such as magnetospheric substorms).

Using a Peltier electrometer, Luigi Palmieri researched atmospheric electricity. Nikola Tesla and Hermann Plauson investigated the production of energy and power via atmospheric electricity. The Polish Polar Station, Hornsund, has researched the magnitude of the earth's electric field and recording its vertical component.

Patents

In the United States Patent Office classification, the main classification is 310/308 Electrical Generator or Motor / Charge accumulating. Other applicable classes regarding atmospheric electricity include:

  • 307/149 ElectricalTransmission or interconnection systems / Miscellaneous Systems
  • 320/166 Electricity: Battery of Capacitor Charging or Discharging / Capacitor Charging or Discharging
  • 361/212 Electricity: Electrical Systems and Devices / Discharging or Preventing accumulation of Electric Charge(e.g., Static Electricity)
  • 174/6 Electricity: Conductors and Insulators / Earth Grounds
  • 174/2 Electricity: Conductors and Insulators / Lightning Protection
Source: United States Patent Office classification system - Classification Definitions, June 30, 2000.
Patents related to atmospheric electricity

American

  • Vion, U.S. patent 28,793, "Improved method of using atmospheric electricity", June 1860.
  • Ward, U.S. patent 126,356, "Improvement in collecting electricity for telegraphing", using towers to collect atmospheric electicity, April 1872.
  • Loomis, U.S. patent 129,971, "Improvement in telegraphing" "without the aid of wires or artificial batteries", Jul. 1872.
  • Palencsar, U.S. patent 674,427, "Apparatus for collecting atmospheric electricity" using a balloon, May 1901.
  • Pennock, U.S. patent 911,260, "Apparatus for collecting atmospheric electricity", using one or more balloons, Feb. 1909.
  • Pennock, U.S. patent 1,014,719, "Apparatus for collecting electrical energy", Jan. 1912.
  • Plauson, U.S. patent 1,540,998, "Conversion of atmospheric electric energy". Jun. 1925.
  • Britten, U.S. patent 1,826,727, "Radio apparatus" "to economize and conserve the current, and to regulate and clarify the tone", Oct. 31, 1931.
  • Crump, U.S. patent 2,813,242, "Powering electrical devices with energy attracted from the atmosphere" using transistor circuits, Nov. 12, 1957.
  • Ruhnke, U.S. patent 3,273,066, "Apparatus for detecting changes in the atmospheric electric field", Sep. 1966.
  • Kasemir, U.S. patent 3,458,805, "Electric field meter having a pair of rotating electrodes", Jul. 1969.
  • Winn, et al., U.S. patent 4,025,913, " Electrical field sensing and transmitting apparatus", May. 1977.
  • Colombo, et al., U.S. patent 4,097,010, " Satellite connected by means of a long (100 km) tether to a powered spacecraft", Jun. 1978.
  • Carpenter, Jr., U.S. patent 4,180,698, " System and equipment for atmospherics conditioning", Dec. 1979.
  • Shoulders, U.S. patent 5,018,180, " Energy conversion using high charge density", May 1991 .
  • Shoulders, U.S. patent 5,123,039, " Energy conversion using high charge density", Jun. 1992.
  • Mims, U.S. patent 5,367,245, " Assembly for the induction of lightning into a superconducting magnetic energy storage system", Nov. 1994.

Other

  • Traun's Forschungs laboratorium, GB157263

See also

References and further readings

General references
Journals
  • Anderson, F. J., and G. D. Freier, "Interactions of the thunderstorm with a conducting atmosphere". J. Geophys. Res., 74, 5390-5396, 1969.
  • Brook, M., "Thunderstorm electrification", Problems of Atmospheric and Space Electricity. S. C. Coroniti (Ed.), Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 280-283, 1965.
  • Farrell, W. M., T. L. Aggson, E. B. Rodgers, and W. B. Hanson, "Observations of ionospheric electric fields above atmospheric weather systems", J. Geophys. Res., 99, 19475-19484, 1994.
  • Fernsler, R. F., and H. L. Rowland, "Models of lightning-produced sprites and elves". J. Geophys. Res., 101, 29653-29662, 1996.
  • Fraser-Smith, A. C., "ULF magnetic fields generated by electrical storms and their significance to geomagnetic pulsation generation". Geophys. Res. Lett., 20, 467-470, 1993.
  • Krider, E. P., and R. J. Blakeslee, "The electric currents produced by thunderclouds". J. Electrostatics, 16, 369-378, 1985.
  • Lazebnyy, B. V., A. P. Nikolayenko, V. A. Rafal'skiy, and A. V. Shvets, "Detection of transverse resonances of the Earth-ionosphere cavity in the average spectrum of VLF atmospherics". Geomagn. Aeron., 28, 281-282, 1988.
  • Ogawa, T., "Fair-weather electricity". J. Geophys. Res., 90, 5951-5960, 1985.
  • Sentman, D. D., "Schnmann resonance spectra in a two-scale-height Earth-ionosphere cavity". J. Geophys. Res., 101, 9479-9487, 1996.
  • Wåhlin, L., "Elements of fair weather electricity". J. Geophys. Res., 99, 10767-10772, 1994.
Other readings
  • Richard E. Orville (ed.), "Atmospheric and Space Electricity". ("Editor's Choice" virtual journal) -- "American Geophysical Union". (AGU) Washington, DC 20009-1277 USA
  • Schonland, B. F. J., "Atmospheric Electricity". Methuen and Co., Ltd., London, 1932.
  • Macgorman, Donald R., W. David Rust, D. R. Macgorman, and W. D. Rust, "The Electrical Nature of Storms". Oxford University Press, March 1998. ISBN 0195073371
  • Cowling, Thomas Gilbert, "On Alfven's theory of magnetic storms and of the aurora", Terrestrial Magnetism and Atmospheric Electricity, 47, 209-214, 1942.

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