Atmospheric Electricity and Effects on Cloud Microphysics

大气电及其对云微物理的影响

• 批准号: 9903424
• 负责人: Brian Tinsley
• 金额: $ 18.54万
• 依托单位: University of Texas at Dallas
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 1999
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1999-09-01 至 2003-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9903424&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Atmospheric; Electricity; Effects; Cloud; Microphysics

The investigators will examine a mechanism that may increase the rate of atmospheric ice formation through contact nucleation of supercooled droplets. The mechanism involves electrical forces between charged contact nuclei resulting from the evaporation of charged droplets at cloud tops and charged, supercooled water droplets at cloud tops. Charging results from conductivity gradients at cloud boundaries due to vertical fair weather currents in the global electric circuit. This mechanism may be a significant source of ice in the atmosphere. If the mechanism is proven to be a source of ice it may mediate physical connections between solar processes and terrestrial weather and climate. Such connections are suggested by various statistical studies, but identification of a causal link has proved to be elusive. The main effort is to calculate details of the mechanism, and to incorporate the mechanism into a model of global electricity. This model will permit an assessment of meteorological effects.

研究人员将检查一种可能通过超冷液滴的接触成核来增加大气冰形成速率的机制。该机制涉及由带电的接触核之间的电力，这是由于云顶部带电的液滴蒸发以及云顶部带电的超冷水滴。由于全球电路中垂直公平的天气电流导致的云边界电导率梯度的充电结果。这种机制可能是大气中冰的重要来源。如果该机制被证明是冰的来源，则可以介导太阳过程与陆地天气和气候之间的物理联系。各种统计研究提出了这种联系，但事实证明，因果关系的识别是难以捉摸的。主要的工作是计算机制的细节，并将机制纳入全球电力模型。该模型将允许评估气象效应。