Fair weather condition concerns the electric field

Electric field

In physics, an electric field surrounds electrically charged particles and time-varying magnetic fields. The electric field depicts the force exerted on other electrically charged objects by the electrically charged particle the field is surrounding...

 and the electric current

Electric current

Electric current is a flow of electric charge through a medium.This charge is typically carried by moving electrons in a conductor such as wire...

 in the air as well as the conductivity of the atmosphere

Atmosphere

An atmosphere is a layer of gases that may surround a material body of sufficient mass, and that is held in place by the gravity of the body. An atmosphere may be retained for a longer duration, if the gravity is high and the atmosphere's temperature is low...

. It is the electrostatic longitudinal mode

Longitudinal mode

For the longitudinal mode of conduction of electric currents, see Common modeA longitudinal mode of a resonant cavity is a particular standing wave pattern formed by waves confined in the cavity. The longitudinal modes correspond to the wavelengths of the wave which are reinforced by constructive...

s and electromagnetic

Electromagnetism

Electromagnetism is one of the four fundamental interactions in nature. The other three are the strong interaction, the weak interaction and gravitation...

 transverse mode

Transverse mode

A transverse mode of a beam of electromagnetic radiation is a particular electromagnetic field pattern of radiation measured in a plane perpendicular to the propagation direction of the beam...

 or state of different meteorological conditions, concerning measurements of atmospheric electrical and meteorological parameters. Fair weather have as component parts an expansive stability range during natural fluctuations.

History

Around June of 1752, Ben Franklin reportedly performed his famous kite experiment. L. G. Lemonnier (1752) reproduced Franklin's experiment with an aerial, but substituted the ground wire with some dust particles (testing attraction). He went on to document the fair weather condition, the clear-day electrification of the atmosphere, and the diurnal

Diurnal phase shift

In telecommunication, diurnal phase shift is the phase shift of electromagnetic signals associated with daily changes in the ionosphere. The major changes usually occur during the period of time when sunrise or sunset is present at critical points along the path. Significant phase shifts may occur...

 variation of the atmosphere's electricity. G. Beccaria

Giovanni Battista Beccaria

Giovanni Battista Beccaria , Italian physicist, was born at Mondovì, and entered the religious order of the Pious Schools in 1732, where he studied, and afterward taught, grammar and rhetoric...

 (1775) confirmed Lemonnier's diurnal variation data and determined that the atmosphere's charge polarity was positive in fair weather. H. B. Saussure

Horace-Bénédict de Saussure

200px|thumb|Portrait of Horace-Bénédict de Saussure Horace-Bénédict de Saussure was a Genevan aristocrat, physicist and Alpine traveller, often considered the founder of alpinism, and considered to be the first person to build a successful solar oven.-Life and work:Saussure was born in Conches,...

 (1779) recorded data relating to a conductor's induced charge in the atmosphere. Saussure's instrument (which contained two small spheres suspended in parallel with two thin wires) was a precursor to the electrometer

Electrometer

An electrometer is an electrical instrument for measuring electric charge or electrical potential difference. There are many different types, ranging from historical hand-made mechanical instruments to high-precision electronic devices...

. Saussure found that the fair weather condition had an annual variation. Saussure found that there was a variation with height, as well. In 1785, C. A. Coulomb

Charles-Augustin de Coulomb

Charles-Augustin de Coulomb was a French physicist. He is best known for developing Coulomb's law, the definition of the electrostatic force of attraction and repulsion. The [SI unit] of charge, the coulomb, was named after him....

 discovered the conductivity of air. His discovery was contrary to the prevailing thought at the time that the atmospheric gases were insulators (which they are to some extent, or at least not very good conductors when not ionized

Ionization

Ionization is the process of converting an atom or molecule into an ion by adding or removing charged particles such as electrons or other ions. This is often confused with dissociation. A substance may dissociate without necessarily producing ions. As an example, the molecules of table sugar...

). His research was unfortunately completely ignored. P. Erman

Paul Erman

Paul Erman was a German physicist from Berlin, Brandenburg. He was the son of the historian Jean Pierre Erman , author of Histoire des refugis....

 (1804) theorized that the Earth was negatively charged. J. C. A. Peltier

Jean Charles Athanase Peltier

Jean Charles Athanase Peltier ]] – October 27, 1845, in Paris) was a French physicist.He discovered the calorific effect of electric current passing through the junction of two different metals...

 (1842) tested and confirmed Erman's idea. Lord Kelvin (1860s) proposed that atmospheric positive charges explained the fair weather condition and, later, recognized the existence of atmospheric electric fields.

See also

General: Atmospheric electricity

Atmospheric electricity

Atmospheric electricity is the regular diurnal variations of the Earth's atmospheric electromagnetic network . The Earth's surface, the ionosphere, and the atmosphere is known as the global atmospheric electrical circuit...

, Geophysics

Geophysics

Geophysics is the physics of the Earth and its environment in space; also the study of the Earth using quantitative physical methods. The term geophysics sometimes refers only to the geological applications: Earth's shape; its gravitational and magnetic fields; its internal structure and...

, Atmospheric sciences

Atmospheric sciences

Atmospheric sciences is an umbrella term for the study of the atmosphere, its processes, the effects other systems have on the atmosphere, and the effects of the atmosphere on these other systems. Meteorology includes atmospheric chemistry and atmospheric physics with a major focus on weather...

, and atmospheric physics

Atmospheric physics

Atmospheric physics is the application of physics to the study of the atmosphere. Atmospheric physicists attempt to model Earth's atmosphere and the atmospheres of the other planets using fluid flow equations, chemical models, radiation balancing, and energy transfer processes in the atmosphere...

Electricity: Earth's magnetic field

Earth's magnetic field

Earth's magnetic field is the magnetic field that extends from the Earth's inner core to where it meets the solar wind, a stream of energetic particles emanating from the Sun...

, Sprites and lightning

Lightning

Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...

, space charge

Space charge

Space charge is a concept in which excess electric charge is treated as a continuum of charge distributed over a region of space rather than distinct point-like charges...

, Telluric current

Telluric current

A telluric current , or Earth current, is an electric current which moves underground or through the sea. Telluric currents result from both natural causes and human activity, and the discrete currents interact in a complex pattern...

s

Publications

• Le Monnier, L.-G.: "Observations sur l'Electricité de l'Air", Histoire de l'Académie royale des sciences (1752), pp. 233ff. 1752.
• Sven Israelsson, On the Conception Fair Weather Condition in Atmospheric Electricity. 1977.
• Ogawa, T., "Fair-weather electricity". J. Geophys. Res., 90, 5951-5960, 1985.
• Wåhlin, L., "Elements of fair weather electricity". J. Geophys. Res., 99, 10767-10772, 1994
• RB Bent, WCA Hutchinson, Electric space charge measurements and the electrode effect within the height of a 21 m mast. J. Atmos. Terr. Phys, 196.
• Bespalov P.A., Chugunov Yu. V. and Davydenko S.S., Planetary electric generator under fair-weather condition with altitude-dependent atmospheric conductivity, Journal of Atmospheric and Terrestrial Physics, v.58, #5,pp. 605–611,1996
• DG Yerg, KR Johnson, Short-period fluctuations in the fair weather electric field. J. Geophys. Research, 1974.
• T Ogawa, Diurnal variation in atmospheric electricity. J. Geomag. Geoelect, 1960.
• R Reiter, Relationships Between Atmospheric Electric Phenomena and Simultaneous Meteorological Conditions. 1960
• J. Law, The ionisation of the atmosphere near the ground in fair weather. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 1963
• T. Marshall, W.D. Rust, M. Stolzenburg, W. Roeder, P. Krehbim A study of enhanced fair-weather electric fields occurring soon after sunrise.
• R Markson, Modulation of the earth's electric field by cosmic radiation. Nature, 1981
• Clark, John Fulmer, The Fair Weather Atmospheric Electric Potential and its Gradient.
• P. A. Bespalov, Yu. V. Chugunov and S. S. Davydenko, Planetary electric generator under fair-weather conditions with altitude-dependent atmospheric conductivity.
• AM Selva, et al., A New Mechanism for the Maintenance of Fair Weather Electric Field and Cloud Electrification.
• M. J. Rycroft, S. Israelssonb and C. Pricec, The global atmospheric electric circuit, solar activity and climate change.
• A. Mary Selvam, A. S. Ramachandra Murty, G. K. Manohar, S. S. Kandalgaonkar, Bh. V.Ramana Murty, A New Mechanism for the Maintenance of Fair Weather Electric Field and Cloud Electrification. arXiv:physics/9910006
• Ogawa, Toshio, Fair-Weather electricity. Journal of Geophysical Research, Volume 90, Issue D4, p. 5951-5960.
• An auroral effect on the fair weather electric field. Nature 278, 239 - 241 (15 March 1979); doi:10.1038/278239a0
• Bespalov, P. A.; Chugunov, Yu. V., Plasmasphere rotation and origin of atmospheric electricity. Physics - Doklady, Volume 39, Issue 8, August 1994, pp. 553–555
• Bespalov, P. A.; Chugunov, Yu. V.; Davydenko, S. S. Planetary electric generator under fair-weather conditions with altitude-dependent atmospheric conductivity. Journal of Atmospheric and Terrestrial Physics.
• A.J. Bennett, R.G. Harrison, A simple atmospheric electrical instrument for educational use

Patents

Method and apparatus for converting electrostatic potential energy Meter for measuring the electric charge of a body. Arthur H. MacLaren Unimeter for detection and indication of electric charge variation. Arthur H. Maclaren ELECTRIC FIELD SENSOR. Arthur A. Few Otto J. Baltzer. INSTRUMENT FOR MEASURING ELECTRICAL. Hafez W. Kasemir. (ed., Assigneed to the United States of America as represented fey the Secretary of the Army AIR)

Websites

• Soaking in atmospheric electricity : 'Fair weather' measurements important to understanding thunderstorms
• Electric Fields : Description of the Atmospheric Electric Field and its Relationship to the Lightning Hazards