Since Commission 8 was only created on a provisional basis at the Munich General Assembly of URSI in 1966, and since also the U.S. National Committee does not maintain an organization for Commission 8 within the U.S.A., it seems appropriate for informative reasons to start this survey by listing the fields of scientific activity covered by the Commission. These are:
1. Atmospherics, their source characteristics and location.
2. Propagational influences on radio noise (with Commission 3).
3. ELF noise from lightning (with Commission 4).
4. Types of lightning flashes generating whistlers. Propagational effects, other than those in the whistler mode, influencing whistler characteristics (with Commission 4).
5. Statistical properties of noise, noise interference with radio communications.
6. Man‐made noise.
This review will discuss work falling within the above fields of study carried out under U.S. auspices and described in 1966, 1967, and 1968. The survey will be confined to papers appearing in recognized journals and other sources of ready availability to which my attention has been drawn; reports of limited circulation and private information will not be considered.