CLOUDS, STORMS AND LIGHTNING
THE ATMOSPHERIC ELECTRIC CIRCUIT
Electric Geology
Volcanism, earthquakes, hurricanes, cyclones and tornadoes look like being related to Sun and its activity. There are evidences that these same geologic phenomena are caused by electric activity (EM), which affects out planet. It is proven the electrical and magnetic activity prior to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions of big magnitude. In 9 of 11 volcanic events in last 300 years it’s been seen that Sun was in ¡low activity periods! (more incidence of cosmic rays). Electric charge in volcanic plumes has been corroborated, same in Earth as in Io . Volcanic ash and lightning produce crystals.
Correlations among explosive particle bursts in high atmospheric layers, and ionospheric activity has been acknowledged. Satellites with infrared and long-wave (radio) detectors pick up some signals before medium and high intensity quakes. Total electron content of ionosphere (TEC) show different patterns than when observed in a calmed ionosphere. It resembles endogenous activity. The quantity of studies that try to predict earthquakes looking for signals in Earth electric field is numbered in thousands. There’s a discussion on whether the tectonic plates movements are ought to magnetic fields lines or its change is caused by plate tectonics. It doesn’t really matter if one is cause and the other the effect. Any case, there’s a link.
Solar flares , CMEs, magnetic storms have something to do with earthquakes. It ‘s believed that there’s a relation between the e- distribution slope angle (PAD) in Van Allen belts and earthquakes, and possibilities of detection are being considered.
Clouds, storms, wind, lightning
Cloud to ground discharges are the most numerous and this kind of lightning seems to be linked to fierce tornadoes. Hurricanes seem to induce ionosphere answers in its path. Typhoons south in South Sea of China caused a decrease of ionospheric layers activity (foF2) until it reach a minimum in 2 days.
Tropical cyclones also interact with ionosphere. It’s being studied how to create tornadoes and use the hurricane’s energy as energy source. There’s enough energy in a storm to create a tornado and its electricity can originate winds by heating air and accelerating charged particles.
As the planet revolves, gases and dust absorb solar radiation at variable degrees. When any region heats, air expands and loses density, creating a low pressure relative area. Cold air is denser, flows naturally to the bottom of a warm region, forming a convection cell that turns upside. That's the official version.
So far so good. But wind in Jupiter reaches 635 km/h, in Uranus 900, in Neptune 1138 and in Saturn 1800 km/h. If winds are caused by heating, why this far planets have such a tornadoes?
There’s lightning in this places. If they are associated to tornadoes, they may have something to do with winds…
EM forces in plasma accelerate charged particles, so that collisions among charged and neutral particles drag neutral air molecules (transference of momentum). Detailed observation of arc discharges reveals that electric wind envelopes and precedes an electric arc.
The image is taken from NOAA site and illustrates the consensus theory of lightning genesis. Electrons get stacked like marbles in a sink accelerating in a cascading slope.
A typical lightning cloud-to-ground needs 10¹⁸ e⁻. Are e- floating randomly in the clouds when, suddenly, a few billion jump into a imaginary drainage tube like the one in the image?
Consensus notion is that charge piles up in electric storms ought to static electricity. Friction of ice crystals/hail and rain, generates an static charge, like rubbing a toy globe on the hair or drag your feet on a carpet.
To behave like plasma, we need just 1% of neutral air to become ionised. Create lightning requires plasma, because that’s what makes the ‘electrode’ in the sky. We know atmosphere in Earth is a closed circuit. It carries charge, current and voltage. Air is a poor conductor with a variable vertical current between ground and ionosphere of 1–3 * 10¹² A/m². Resistance is about 200 ohms (human skin 10⁵ ohms). Voltage of clear air averages 100-3000 V/m between Earth and higher atmosphere.
In any moment there are 2000 storms in the whole world. To spark lightning, electric field potential must surpass air dielectric break (3*10⁶ V/m). It is possible as the electric field in a storm reaches 300 Millions volts.
This circuit and its working was studied in Eastern countries, but no in Western. It was popularised en the 50's by R. Feynman, and it’s believed to be created by lightning in storms that provide negative charge to the surface, which cannot dissipate quickly enough. There’s a positive layer several km under the crust.
Consensus among scientists is that charge separation is done in a process called “non-inductive charge mechanism”. You have a mixed phase of ice and water of about 5 km, and somewhat they rub and you get raining and ascending currents exploding. In some way, water and ice get their particles separated with opposite charge. Lighter particles get a positive charge and go to the higher part, and heavier ones are negative and fall.
However, in the conventional model there is a maximum limit of accumulated charge, which is very far from the electric field observed in lightning. “Emission of X-rays and Gamma rays dissipates charge and prevents it from growing large enough to ionize air” (J. Dwyer). In situ measurements show that a maximum 10⁵ V/m was found only in 6 of 61 cases. (At least ¡3 orders of magnitude! are lacking to explain those fields).
To be coherent, stratified and able to build up enough charge for a 5 km lightning (10⁹ e-), required density implies plasma. Gases can drive electricity in low pressures and being a little bit ionised. Even with a 1% it is enough to behave like plasma.
A supercell is an immense rotating storm. It can last several hours as a single entity. It uses to happen in big plains and produce tornadoes and large chunks of hail. Air dielectric breaking potential is 3*10⁶ V/m. Resistance of a gas depends on the number of ions it has (if it hasn’t it is infinite). Air resistance is approximately 10¹⁶ ohms.
As stated above, electric field in a storm reaches 300 M V/m. A typical lightning (5-10 km) delivers 30.000 amperes to Earth. Collective current of a storm offers 0.5 a 1 ampere. Circuit completes; a worldwide current from Earth to sky, and storms that return it from sky to earth. 2.000 simultaneous storms, everyone of 1.5 amperes, means whole current is around 3.000 amperes. This is not the whole story as there is much more not known about the Earth’s circuit. There is an exchange from atmosphere to space, and vice versa. It has not yet been measured or accurately understood (Sprites, Gnomes and Elves).
Cosmic rays add charge continuously. Exposure rate of the Earth to the solar wind fluctuates widely, because the solar current and the intensity of the Earth's magnetic field both fluctuate. Sometimes, the shield it provides varies, allowing more cosmic rays to enter through "holes“. Birkeland currents flow around Earth, moulded by the geomagnetic field. The way in which these currents fluctuate in density, and the resulting induced currents in the atmosphere and soil, is another area of scientific uncertainty. Due to the variability and the fact that they have not been noticed until recently, it is not yet understood how much current enters or leaves Earth into space.
Electron emission by electric fields does not generate free e- by thermionic emission, according to A. Hall. The electrode heats up, but not appreciably because heat is not what releases e-. It is the strength of the electric field, a high voltage potential, that removes electrons from any material present, including the air itself. A plasma structure (ions), called a crown or corona, is formed. Corona is the electrode in the sky that releases a lightning bolt. Coronal discharge is used in various ways in modern technology. It requires a high voltage, which is precisely what is present in a storm: 300 M volts, or a thousand times more than in calm weather. The corona is the only electrical phenomenon that can cause a non-thermionic discharge in atmospheric conditions. It is the driving force of the storm and the lightning generator.
Fall collisions remove more and more e- which follow the electric field. The region where e- are taken is a cold partial plasma. The rise in charge density amplifies the electric field and organizes it in a corona. “Charge zones” in atmospheric layers are not +/- charge groups (as shown), but coronas which +/- polarity (mix of ions and neutral atoms that interact electrically).
Avalanche is half the story. Lightning comes from below, as much as from above. The electric field also has + ions on the ground under the storm. Ionic streamers, filaments of positively charged air, extend the electric field to the clouds. When a ‘serpentine’ meets the cascade leader, the discharge occurs. The circuit is closed and the e-rapids of the corona reach the ground; then the slow ions travel the ground to the cloud in the return blow.
The corona provides the load and the current mechanism (dark mode) for the avalanche. This is what is missing in the notions of consensus. The idea of consensus that the static charge builds up from hail collisions is also inadequate.
With interferometers and Doppler radar it was shown that rays are formed in low pressure winds around the warm central upstream of the storm cell. As a storm is organised and the rising current accelerates, the lightning frequency intensifies dramatically. "Nobody knows how lightning occurs in rapid winds of more than 40 m/s." Another oddity is that water goes through all its phases in a storm. One more: ice carries a positive charge. Water in a liquid state self-ionizes (2H2O -> H3O⁺ + OH2⁻).
Electricity in EZ water
In the words of chemistry scholar Gerald Pollack evaporation patterns carry EZ water droplets to the clouds. Negativity in Earth surface may hang out in the ocean. If surface is negative and clouds are made of wrappings of EZ water drops, they repel each other and float. But if clouds are made by charges, how do they clump together?
Between two negative droplets there are Hydronium ions (H3O+) which acts as a binder (Feynman: likes-likes-like). A few ions in between act like glue to tie negative micro-droplets.
In the other hand, ash and volcanic dust lasts until 1-2 years suspended in the atmosphere (and even more). Rays and volcanic ashes build up crystals. According to the view of mainstream science, Frisbees have their upper external edge rounded which elicit quicker air circulation and creates a lower pressure holding its direction. They fly by lift effect, like plane’s wings. Some birds were thought to have evolved from ancestors who could not fly. But that’s untrue. Rheas, ostriches, emus, cassowers, penguins or moas cannot fly. Studies state that many of these birds evolved according to a specific environment. Some became better swimmers and lost their ability to fly. Archaeopteryx could hardly fly. Neither Pterodactylus. But then,
Why do birds fly without flapping most of the time?
If there are warm ascending currents, How are gaps refilled (we don’t notice any fresh or cold air moving horizontally)?
Why don’t we lose our breath at surface?
Why do clouds float (when there is no wind or ascending currents) or even with them if clouds weigh 100 elephants?
Why do Frisbees hold the lift (and gyroscopic effect) so much time? ¿Is there just lift or something more?
Why do paper air-planes glide for so long?
How can volcanic ash and H2SO4 drops stay suspended up in the atmosphere during several years???
Why do dust float in air and even at home?
Why do planes and helicopters build up so much electrostatic charge?
Many birds have electrostatic charge. The same happens with plants and flowers. Clouds are electrically charged and in its lower part negative charges prevail. Repelling with the ground is logical.
Frisbees are made up of synthetic materials (polyethylenes), more electron-negative (below in triboelectric series), while the air is the most electropositive material (high in the series). If disk’s rotation means friction with air, its huge triboelectric difference may cause charging and repulsion. Volcanoes have electric charges, and generate lightning discharges when erupting. Some scientists think that electromagnetism is related to its origin. Dust floats in the air. Even fluff clumps together by electrostatic charge. It is possible that the air has some relation outside, but inside a house it seems more plausible that fluff suffers electrostatic repulsion. Even in the Moon and Mars there is dust electrically lifted and moved. Sandstorms are energised electrostatically. Every one knows static electricity attracts dust. All personnel working with helicopters is advised not to touch the craft until it is grounded (discharged). Plane’s wings and helicopters helices must be grounded. Dust storms are energised with static charge.
Air is more electropositive (tendency to give up e-) of all materials in triboelectric tables. That means that it will get positive charge when rubbing with an electronegative material. Birds ought to be negatively charged to flap their wings by triboelectric effect. This provide them a lift that would help them fly. V shape formation in birds is due to electrostatic fields (bees and hummingbirds). Even spiders fly. And they do it following the Earth’s electric field.
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