Electrical Conditions in Thunderclouds

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Using aircraft and radar observations from current field programs and those in 1984 and 1987, we propose to look for downdrafts that carry charge near cloud boundaries, which is a basic prediction of one hypothesis of electrification. For another hypothesis, which involves ice pellets and ice crystals, we propose to build the facilities required to find out whether or not ice pellets carry sufficient current toward the main region of negative charge to account for the growth of the charge. From telemetered airplane data we will calculate and display during flights the approximate locations of charge along with radar reflectivity in order to guide the airplane to regions where ice particles are postulated to be carrying current toward the main region of negative charge. Our present vertically- scanning 3-cm radar will be modified so that aircraft data can be superimposed upon the radar reflectivity. We also propose to build a charge sensor that is specifically designed to be compatible with existing probes that record the images of particles.//