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The Earth's Electrical Environment (1986) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 102-103

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From page 102...
... The currents that charge the storm should not be weakened significantly by leakage currents between the charge regions, except those involving the motion of charged cloud particles, which are expected to have small effect. The storm charges and electric fields are therefore expected to build up in a manner that reflects the strength of the charging process, until lightning occurs, after which the buildup repeats.
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From page 103...
... This charge transport would be generative, i.e., negative charge would be carried downward away from the upper positive charge, in creasing the electrical energy of the storm. An alterna tive possibility is that turbulent mixing folds the screen ing charge into the upper positive charge of the storm, which would be a dissipative process.
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Key Terms

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

  • charging process
  • electric fields
  • electric currents
  • main negative
  • storm charges

  • space charge
  • intracloud lightning
  • upper atmosphere
  • positive charge
  • electrical energy

  • corona current
  • electrical structure
  • upper positive
  • cloud top
  • field programs

  • doppler radars
  • turbulent mixing


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