CONVECTED CHARGE IN THUNDERSTORMS

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Abstract
The charge transport within thunderclouds by the convective motions of the cloud is examined. In the presence of the primary positive dipole, shielding charge distributions are formed within, the lower and upper cloud boundaries as the result of ion conduction from the free air and ion capture by droplets and precipitation in peripheral cloud layers. Cloud droplets positively charged by the conduction current to the cloud base are lifted by the updraft into appear cloud volumes where they contribute to the positive pole of the primary dipole. In turn, precipitation developing in the cloud top carries negative charge to lower cloud levels during fall under gravity forces. The role of water accumulation in the upper cloud is shown to be an important factor in establishing the non-neutralizing current paths in upper cloud layers. The charge transport by the convection mechanism is believed to be a major current flow of storms. The role of other thunderstorm electrification mechanisms is only briefly considered.

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