Further Studies of Electrical Conditions inside Thunderstorms

1984年夏天，在新墨西哥州中部的新墨西哥州矿业与技术学院朗缪尔实验室附近进行了一次雷暴实验。这项野外实验的一个主要目标是了解雷暴的带电情况。目前，云充电机制和不同电流在减少雷暴电能方面的相对重要性还不是很清楚。马歇尔教授通过在雷雨云中释放仪器气球来测量电荷。初步工作表明，下降的降水在采样的雷雨云中产生了大量的电流。根据这笔拨款，马歇尔教授将继续分析新墨西哥州实验期间收集的电场探测数据。他的结果，加上其他参与研究的科学家对雷暴进行的多普勒雷达分析，应该会提高我们对雷暴带电的理解。

During the summer of 1984 a thunderstorm experiment was conducted near Langmuir Laboratory, New Mexico Institute of Mines and Technology in central New Mexico. One primary objective of this field experiment was to understand thunderstorm electrification. Presently the cloud charging mechanisms and the relative importance of different currents in reducing the electrical energy of thunderstorms are not well understood. Professor Marshall made electric charge measurements by releasing instrumented balloons through the thunderclouds. Preliminary work indicates that falling precipitation creates a substantial electric current inside the sampled thunderclouds. Under this grant Professor Marshall will continue analyzing the electric field soundings collected during the New Mexico experiment. His results, together with Doppler radar analyses of the thunderstorms carried out by other participating scientists, should improve our understanding of thunderstorm electrification.