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The Earth's Electrical Environment (1986) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 100-101

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From page 100...
... Precipitation theories predict that the main negative charge of the storm resides on precipitation particles, and it has been of interest to test this prediction by direct measurement. Such measurements have become possible in recent years using instruments that sense the charge on individual precipitation particles.
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From page 101...
... A third possibility is that an inductive process might operate to charge the precipitation positively (e.g., Chin, 1978~. An inductive mechanism differs from the noninductive hail/ice-crystal mechanism described earlier in that the charge transferred during rebounding collisions depends on the strength and direction of the ambient electric field.
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Key Terms

  • inductive process
  • electric field
  • precipitation particles
  • cloud base
  • negative charge

  • cloud particles
  • charging process
  • electrical conductivity
  • charge transfer
  • main negative

  • ice crystals
  • ion capture
  • precipitation theories
  • cloud droplets
  • positive charge

  • charge centers
  • doppler radars
  • positive ions
  • charged precipitation
  • charging processes

  • strongly electrified
  • convective motions


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