Solar wind-atmospheric electricity-cloud microphysics connections to weather and climate

Atmospheric Electricity and Cloud Microphysics

The terrestrial atmospheric electrical system covers a range of dimensional scales, from charged molecular clusters to convective cloud systems. Charge-exchange associated with thunderclouds leads to positive charge in the upper conductive regions of the atmosphere and a net negative charge on the planetary surface. In non-thunderstorm regions, a vertical ionic current flows, replenishing the a...

Space weather influences on atmospheric electricity

Atmospheric electricity is a venerable topic of geophysical science, dating back to the 1750s when Franklin and Dalibard established the presence of electricity in thunderstorms. Subsequently even fine conditions were observed to be electrified, and a downward vertical atmospheric electric field of magnitude ~100V/m observed near the surface during fair weather conditions. The origin of the “fa...

Variations of Atmospheric Electricity Elements in Polar Regions related to the Solar Wind Changes

Tropical tele-connections to the Mediterranean climate and weather

Some strong natural fluctuations of climate in the Eastern Mediterranean (EM) region are shown to be connected to the major tropical systems. Potential relations between EM rainfall extremes to tropical systems, e.g. El Niño, Indian Monsoon and hurricanes, are demonstrated. For a specific event, high resolution modelling of the severe flood on 3–5 December 2001 in Israel suggests a relation to ...

Fair weather atmospheric electricity: its origin and applications

Abstract—An entirely electrostatic view of the earth upper atmosphere system, as understood for example, by Lord Kelvin, underwent a paradigm shift around 1900 with definitive observations of sustained ion production in atmospheric air. Cosmic ray ionisation of atmospheric air, together with a potential difference between the upper atmosphere and the earth’s surface, yield vertical atmospheric ...