Electrification in the Earth's atmosphere for altitudes between 0 and 100 kilometers

Abstract

An attempt is made to unite the concepts of atmospheric electricity and of lower ionospheric physics by using a common theoretical approach to derive profiles of electron and ion densities from 0 to 100 km. Relations between height and the rate of ion production that apply to average geographical and temporal conditions are used, together with selected values of attachment, detachment, and recombination coefficients. The uncertainty in and range of variation of these coefficients are discussed, and some examples given of the associated variability in the derived electron and ion density profiles. Estimates of collisional frequencies are used in conjunction with the electron and ion density information to obtain profiles of conductivity versus height. Below some 40 to 50 km, ionic conductivity is dominant. Deductions regarding mobility and its relationship to ion‐clustering are considered. It is demonstrated that when ionization is being produced below about 40 km, the radio wave absorption due to ions is much more important than that caused by electrons. It is also shown that any effects on atmospheric electricity observations at the ground associated with ionizing fluxes in the upper atmosphere are probably due to stratospheric space charges rather than to changes in conductivity at high altitudes. The applications of the conductivity profiles to radio wave propagation at VLF and ELF are briefly examined.

On the Recent Measurements of Atmospheric Ion Density from the Ground to the Stratosphere

“…In an ideal situation, we would expect a small decrease in the negative ion density following the stratospheric sunrise because of the photodetachment of electrons, especially in the higher regions. It is, however, doubtful if the photodetachment plays any significant role at 30 km (Cole and Pierce, 1965).…”

Initiation of non-tropical thunderstorms by solar activity

“…further discussions of their effects on conductivity have been givenby others (e.g., Hake et al , 1973;Cole and Pierce, 1965). The important point here is that with a given set of nominally accepted values, an influx of solar protons into the atmosphere should drastically alter the conductivity profile at and above about 20 km altitude.…”

“…Following Cole and Pierce (1965), we define conductivity (a) as X = neµ, where n is the number density of charge carriers, a is the carrier charge, and µ is the mobility. The mobility, in turn, isµ = e/mv, where m is the carrier mass and v is the collisional frequency of the carrier against other constituents.…”

“…To calculate "background" total conductivity profiles representative of quiet conditions as depicted in Figure 3, the production rate (Q) due to cosmic rays ( Figure 2) was used along with the loss (recombination) coefficients and collisional frequencies as given by Cole and Pierce (1965). The ionic mass was assumed to be 29, on the basis that the charged carriers are molecular oxygen and nitrogen.…”

The Electrical Nature in Planetary Upper Atmospheres

“…Loss mechanisms are the aerochemical reactions of recombination, attachment and detachment processes, which vary with gas density, composition, temperature, and etc.. An extensive discussion of this problem has been given by Cole and Pierce (1965 Lower Atmospheric System In the lower atmosphere there exists a downwards electric field (positive for the sign convention used in atmospheric electricity), because the earth is negatively charged in fair-weather conditions. This electric field is maintained by convective ion currents which are supplied by charging currents from the areas suffering stormy-weather.…”