scholarly journals Surface fair-weather potential gradient measurements from a small tropical island station Suva, Fiji

2009 ◽  
Vol 61 (6) ◽  
pp. 747-753 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vickal V. Kumar ◽  
V. Ramachandran ◽  
V. Buadromo ◽  
J. Prakash
Keyword(s):  
Potential Gradient ◽  
Fair Weather ◽  
Tropical Island ◽  
Island Station ◽  
Gradient Measurements

Effects of energetic particles on the potential gradient measurements at different latitudes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Tacza ◽  
Anna Odzimek ◽  
Marek Kubicki ◽  
Jean-Pierre Raulin
Keyword(s):  
Potential Gradient ◽  
Forbush Decrease ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Solar Proton ◽  
Energetic Particles ◽  
Electrical Circuit ◽  
Fair Weather ◽  
Superposed Epoch Analysis ◽  
Gradient Measurements

<p>Energetic particles are potential candidates to affect the Global Electrical Circuit. This is supported by theoretical models that propose that these events can modify the conductivity profile above thunderstorms. If very strong, they can change the conductivity at low altitudes. We can study these effects through potential gradient measurements in fair weather regions. In this study, we investigate the potential gradient daily curve departures from the standard curve (mean curve in fair weather conditions) during very intense solar proton events and Forbush decrease. The superposed epoch analysis was utilized in order to enhance weak effects. Potential gradient data corresponds to the period between January 2008 and July 2019, and were recorded at two different stations located in different latitudes: CASLEO (Argentina, South Hemisphere) and Swider (Poland, North Hemisphere).</p>

scholarly journals Measuring Global Signals in the Potential Gradient at High Latitude Sites

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Tacza ◽  
Keri A. Nicoll ◽  
Edith L. Macotela ◽  
Marek Kubicki ◽  
Anna Odzimek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Latitude ◽  
Potential Gradient ◽  
Electric Circuit ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Electrical Circuit ◽  
Global Electric Circuit ◽  
Fair Weather ◽  
Wind Speeds ◽  
Gradient Measurements ◽  
Seasonal Analysis

Previous research has shown that the study of the global electrical circuit can be relevant to climate change studies, and this can be done through measurements of the potential gradient near the surface in fair weather conditions. However, potential gradient measurements can be highly variable due to different local effects (e.g., pollution, convective processes). In order to try to minimize these effects, potential gradient measurements can be performed at remote locations where anthropogenic influences are small. In this work we present potential gradient measurements from five stations at high latitudes in the Southern and Northern Hemisphere. This is the first description of new datasets from Halley, Antarctica; and Sodankyla, Finland. The effect of the polar cap ionospheric potential can be significant at some polar stations and detailed analysis performed here demonstrates a negligible effect on the surface potential gradient at Halley and Sodankyla. New criteria for determination of fair weather conditions at snow covered sites is also reported, demonstrating that wind speeds as low as 3 m/s can loft snow particles, and that the fetch of the measurement site is an important factor in determining this threshold wind speed. Daily and seasonal analysis of the potential gradient in fair weather conditions shows great agreement with the “universal” Carnegie curve of the global electric circuit, particularly at Halley. This demonstrates that high latitude sites, at which the magnetic and solar influences can be present, can also provide globally representative measurement sites for study of the global electric circuit.

scholarly journals A Study of the Effects of Rain, Snow and Hail on the Atmospheric Electric Field near Ground

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 996
Author(s):  
Athanasios Karagioras ◽  
Konstantinos Kourtidis
Keyword(s):  
Frequency Distribution ◽  
Complex Structure ◽  
Potential Gradient ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
The Other ◽  
Fair Weather ◽  
Northern Greece ◽  
Rain Events ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Bounce Back

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the impact of rain, snow and hail on potential gradient (PG), as observed in a period of ten years in Xanthi, northern Greece. An anticorrelation between PG and rainfall was observed for rain events that lasted several hours. When the precipitation rate was up to 2 mm/h, the decrease in PG was between 200 and 1300 V/m, in most cases being around 500 V/m. An event with rainfall rates up to 11 mm/h produced the largest drop in PG, of 2 kV/m. Shortly after rain, PG appeared to bounce back to somewhat higher values than the ones of fair-weather conditions. A decrease in mean hourly PG was observed, which was around 2–4 kV/m during the hail events which occurred concurrently with rain and from 0 to 3.5 kV/m for hail events with no rain. In the case of no drop, no concurrent drop in temperature was observed, while, for the other cases, it appeared that, for each degree drop in temperature, the drop in hourly mean PG was 1000 V/m; hence, we assume that the intensity of the hail event regulates the drop in PG. The frequency distribution of 1-minute PG exhibits a complex structure during hail events and extend from −18 to 11 kV/m, with most of the values in the negative range. During snow events, 1-minute PG exhibited rapid fluctuations between high positive and high negative values, its frequency distribution extending from −10 to 18 kV/m, with peaks at −10 and 3 kV/m.

scholarly journals Settlement process of radioactive dust to the ground inferred from the atmospheric electric field measurement

2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Yamauchi ◽  
M. Takeda ◽  
M. Makino ◽  
T. Owada ◽  
I. Miyagi
Keyword(s):  
Electric Field ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Potential Gradient ◽  
Radioactive Material ◽  
Strong Wind ◽  
Fair Weather ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Radiation Dose Rate ◽  
Radioactive Dust ◽  
Cloudy Weather

Abstract. Radioactive materials from the accident at Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant (FNPP) in March 2011 spread over a large area, increasing the atmospheric electric conductivity by their ionizing effect, and reducing the vertical (downward) component of the DC electric field near the ground, or potential gradient (PG). PG data at Kakioka, 150 km away from the FNPP, showed independent changes compared to the radiation dose rate, and a comparison of these data revealed the local dynamics of the radioactive dust. (1) The initial drop of the PG to almost zero during 14–15 March is most likely due to radioactive dust suspended in the air near the ground during cloudy weather. (2) An episode of PG increase to more than 50 V m−1 on 16 March is most likely due to the re-suspension of the radioactive dust from the surface and subsequent removal from Kakioka by the strong wind from the non-contaminated area. (3) Low but finite values of the PG during 16–20 March most likely reflect a reduced amount of radioactive material near the ground after the above wind transported away the majority of the suspended radioactive dust. (4) Very low values of the PG after substantial rain on 20–22 March most likely reflect settlement of the radioactive material by rain-induced fallout. (5) Temporal recovery of daily variations from the end of March to the middle of April with low nighttime fair-weather baseline PG most likely reflects re-suspension of the radioactive dust into the air from the ground and trees, and subsequent transport to the other region or fallout to the ground until late April. (6) Weakening of the daily variation and gradual recovery of the nighttime fair-weather baseline after mid-April suggests a complete settlement of the radioactive material to the ground with partial migration to the subsurface.

The effect of a living tree upon the fair weather potential gradient

1965 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 429-430 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.R. Arnold ◽  
E.T. Pierce ◽  
A.L. Whitson
Keyword(s):  
Potential Gradient ◽  
Fair Weather ◽  
Living Tree
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