The effect of condensation‐nuclei in atmospheric‐electric observations

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Abstract
Curves are given, based on observations made at the Watheroo Magnetic Observatory, showing the relations found between the counts of condensation‐nuclei made with an Aitken counter and the simultaneous values of the atmospheric conductivity and potential‐gradient. There is some disagreement with the data given by Wait, based on fewer observations. It is concluded that, for the range of observation, there is an approximately linear relation between the nuclei‐count and the reciprocals of the polar conductivities and between the nuclei‐count and the atmospheric potential‐gradient. Owing particularly to the influence of the distribution of the pollution with respect to height the potential‐gradient curves are not very definite. The effect of the pollution on the conductivity is expressed in terms of the linear recombination‐law of Schweidler and the extension of this to explain the effect of high values of humidity is noted. An approximate and non‐linear extrapolation of the curve for reciprocals of negative conductivity against nuclei‐count is given based on Schweidler's equation of recombination in the presence of Langevin ions and uncharged nuclei.

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