The rôle of the space‐charge in atmospheric electricity
- 1 September 1933
- journal article
- Published by American Geophysical Union (AGU) in Terrestrial Magnetism and Atmospheric Electricity
- Vol. 38 (3) , 161-173
- https://doi.org/10.1029/te038i003p00161
Abstract
The idea of an electrified atmosphere was generally accepted in Franklin's time, but the experiments of Ermann and Peltier led to the idea of a negatively charged Earth. Lord Kelvin,1 however, saw that both ideas were correct and pointed out that the electric field of the Earth is similar to that of a condenser. This analogy is not very close since only the negative plate is a conducting surface, while the positive plate is the first 8 or 10 kilometers of the atmosphere. The dielectric, moreover, which corresponds with the positive plate, is an ionized gas and for the potentials involved the “leaks” are very significant.Keywords
This publication has 3 references indexed in Scilit:
- THE SUMMER NIGHTTIME CLOUDS OF THE SANTA CLARA VALLEY, CALIF.Monthly Weather Review, 1933
- The relation of space‐charge and potential gradient to the diurnal system of convection in the lower atmosphereTerrestrial Magnetism and Atmospheric Electricity, 1930
- The atmospheric potential gradient, and a theory as to the cause of its connection with other phenomena in atmospheric electricity, together with certain conclusions as to the expression for the electric force between two parallel charged platesTerrestrial Magnetism and Atmospheric Electricity, 1913