Collaborative Research: Quantifying the Global Electric Circuit by Data Mining of Electric Field and Radar Observations from Ground Based, Airborne and Satellite Platforms

全球电路(GEC)指的是大气电流在低层大气、电离层和磁层之间的持续运动，主要由闪电驱动。根据该奖项将开展的工作将涉及全球经济共同体的几个未知或不确定的方面。GEC对社会的重要性在于，大气中的电流对通信和飞机导航有影响。该项目还包括为少数族裔服务机构的下一代科学家提供重要的培训机会。该项目的目标是减少全球电路两个主要部件的不确定性：来自带电云层的上行电流和下行的晴天电流。为了量化上升流，研究小组将检查过去30年从实地活动中收集的云上方的电场观测，并推导出这些观测与诸如TRMM和GPM卫星飞行任务的遥感测量之间的关系。向下的晴天气流将通过在阿拉斯加、科罗拉多州和德克萨斯州的电场观测来量化，重点是利用云和气溶胶数据来精炼晴天条件的定义和不确定性。提出了六个具体的科学问题：·Q#1：在带电云的光谱中，是否有可能根据雷达、微波辐射计或其他卫星测量的特性，将对GEC有较大贡献的更重要的云与那些可以忽略的云区分开来？哪些类型的带电云层为GEC提供了显著的电流？·问#2：带电的温带天气系统在GEC中的作用是什么，特别是对于那些有冻雨和雷雪的系统？·Q#3：能否根据雷达、被动微波辐射计或其他基于卫星的测量，根据带电云团的垂直和水平结构来精炼估计的电流？·Q#4：各种雷暴和带电簇射云(ESCs)及其威尔逊电流对GEC的贡献的区域、季节和日分布是什么？·Q#5：能否通过使用阿拉斯加北部的云和气溶胶观测的集合来改善对地面电场的局部影响的理解，问：在气候变暖的情况下，北极地区的雷暴和ESCs会有怎样的变化？阿拉斯加北部云系统的变化与当地电场有何关系？这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The Global Electric Circuit (GEC) refers to the continuous movement of atmospheric electricity between the lower atmosphere, ionosphere and magnetosphere, principally driven by lightning. The work that will be conducted under this award will address several unknown or uncertain aspects of the GEC. The importance of the GEC to society is that electric currents in the atmosphere have impacts on communication and aircraft navigation. The project also includes significant training opportunities for the next generation of scientists at a Minority Serving Institution.The goal of this project is to reduce uncertainties in two major components of the Global Electric Circuit; the upward current from electrified clouds and the downward fair-weather current. To quantify the upward current the research team will examine electric field observations above clouds that were collected from field campaigns over the past three decades, and derive a relationship between those observations and remote sensing measurements such as from the TRMM and GPM satellite missions. Downward fair-weather current would be quantified through electric field observations in Alaska, Colorado, and Texas, with a focus on refining the definition and uncertainties of fair-weather conditions using cloud and aerosol data. Six specific science questions are posed:• Q#1: In the spectrum of electrified clouds, is it possible to separate the more important clouds having large contributions to the GEC from those that can be neglected, based on properties seen from radar, microwave radiometers, or other satellite-based measurements? What types of electrified clouds supply significant electric current to the GEC? • Q#2: What is the role of electrified extratropical synoptic systems in the GEC, especially from those with freezing rain and thundersnow? Can their fractional contribution to the GEC be quantified?• Q#3: Can the estimated current be refined based on the vertical and horizontal structures of the electrified clouds from measurements of radar, passive microwave radiometers, or other satellite-based measurements? • Q#4: What are the regional, seasonal, and diurnal distributions of the various thunderstorms and electrified shower clouds (ESCs) and their Wilson current contributions to the GEC?• Q#5: Can the understanding of local influences to surface electric field be improved by using a collection of observations of cloud and aerosols in northern Alaska, and the differences in the diurnal variations of electric fields obtained at other stations? • Q#6: How would thunderstorms and ESCs in the Arctic vary under a warming climate? How is the local electric field related to the variations of cloud systems in northern Alaska?This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.