Radiosonde measurement of vertical electrical field and polar conductivity

Jones, O.C.; Maddever, R.S.; Sanders, J. H.

doi:10.1088/0950-7671/36/1/309

Cited by 10 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…The apparatus, described in Nicoll and Harrison (2008) measures bipolar conductivity simultaneously, and weighs 300g, considerably lighter than the 4.5kg apparatus of Woessner et al (1958) and Paltridge (1965). Some of the earliest free balloon measurements of clear air σ were made by Stergis et al (1955), Koenigsfeld (1953), Woessner et al (1958), Jones et al (1959), Hatekayama et al (1958), Paltridge (1965), and Morita et al (1971). They generally found an increase in σ with height in accordance with the results of Gish and Sherman (1936) to 18km.…”

Section: Measurements Of Conductivity Aloftsupporting

confidence: 65%

“…A similar type balloon borne electric field mill to that of Hatakeyama (1958) was developed by Jones et al (1959), who expressed concern that using radioactive probes or point discharge currents to measure electric fields pollutes the atmosphere with ions, therefore possibly contaminating any additional atmospheric electrical measurements being made nearby or in the wake of the ion plume.…”

Section: Electric Field Measurements Aloftmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the UK, a balloon-borne electric field mill was developed by Jones et al (1959) and flown alongside the UK Met Office's Kew MK II radiosonde. A flight through a layer of Sc cloud showed a gradual increase in electric field within the cloud to a maximum of 300Vm -1 , and a sharp decrease above the cloud top from 300 to 50Vm -1 , indicating charge near the cloud top (see Figure 10).…”

Section: Measurements Of Electric Fieldmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite the difficulties, some sensible measurements of conductivity within non-thunderstorm clouds do exist. One example is the balloon borne conductivity measurements of Jones et al (1959), shown in Figure 10, which found a decrease in conductivity on entering the base of a layer of Sc cloud (where σ + decreases from ≈ 1x10 14 mho (10 fSm ) inside the layer), and an increase above the cloud top. A decrease in conductivity within cloud is expected as the high concentration of cloud droplets should reduce the conductivity from its clear air value, due to ion-droplet attachment.…”

Section: Measurements Of Conductivitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Balloon-borne measurements of electric field (E, left hand trace), positive conductivity (σ+, middle trace) and temperature (T) through a layer of stratocumulus cloud over Oxford, UK (taken from Jones et al (1959), with permission). ).…”

Section: Figure 10mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Measurements of Atmospheric Electricity Aloft

Nicoll

2012

Surv Geophys

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Measurements of the electrical characteristics of the atmosphere above the surface have been made for over 200 years, from a variety of different platforms, including kites, balloons, rockets and aircraft. From these measurements, a great deal of information about the electrical characteristics of the atmosphere has been gained, assisting our understanding of the global atmospheric electric circuit, thunderstorm electrification and lightning generation mechanisms, discovery of transient luminous events above thunderstorms, and many other electrical phenomena. This paper surveys the history of atmospheric electrical measurements aloft, from the earliest manned balloon ascents to current day observations with free balloons and aircraft. Measurements of atmospheric electrical parameters in a range of meteorological conditions are described, including clear air conditions, polluted conditions, non-thunderstorm clouds, and thunderstorm clouds, spanning a range of atmospheric conditions, from fair weather, to the most electrically active.2

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Section: Measurements Of Conductivity Aloftsupporting

confidence: 65%

Section: Electric Field Measurements Aloftmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Measurements Of Electric Fieldmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Measurements Of Conductivitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Figure 10mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Measurements of Atmospheric Electricity Aloft

Nicoll

2012

Surv Geophys

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Evaluating stratiform cloud base charge remotely

Harrison

Nicoll

Aplin

2017

Geophysical Research Letters

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Stratiform clouds acquire charge at their upper and lower horizontal boundaries due to vertical current flow in the global electric circuit. Cloud charge is expected to influence microphysical processes, but understanding is restricted by the infrequent in situ measurements available. For stratiform cloud bases below 1 km in altitude, the cloud base charge modifies the surface electric field beneath, allowing a new method of remote determination. Combining continuous cloud height data during 2015–2016 from a laser ceilometer with electric field mill data, cloud base charge is derived using a horizontal charged disk model. The median daily cloud base charge density found was −0.86 nC m−2 from 43 days' data. This is consistent with a uniformly charged region ~40 m thick at the cloud base, now confirming that negative cloud base charge is a common feature of terrestrial layer clouds. This technique can also be applied to planetary atmospheres and volcanic plumes.

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References

2014

Meteorological Measurements and Instrumentation

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Radiosonde measurement of vertical electrical field and polar conductivity

Cited by 10 publications

References 5 publications

Measurements of Atmospheric Electricity Aloft

Measurements of Atmospheric Electricity Aloft

Evaluating stratiform cloud base charge remotely

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